XCerastium arvense - Field Mouse ChickweedX
Click/Tap a thumbnail image to see its larger image with informational details.
-
Field Mouse Chickweed (Cerastium arvense), family Caryothyllaceae (Pink)
These early blooming flowers have a simple delicate symmetry that is very attractive. The plants in this genus are called chickweeds due to their use as feed for chickens and other barnyard birds. The plants are perennials. The following is from the Center for Plant Conservation: 'The species Cerastium arvense is a hardy perennial that can be found in cold and temperate regions of both the northern and southern hemispheres. This particular variety produces 5-petaled flowers that are white and about 3/8 of an inch wide. Plants can grow to a foot tall, and are found growing individually or in mats up to several yards wide...Kartesz (1999) recognizes five subspecies of Cerastium arvense, and between them all they are located in nearly every state in the United States, including Alaska, as well as nearly every province in Canada, as well as in Greenland.' End quote. Our specimens were growing in a thick cluster of flowers making a pretty if delicate show.
Flower -
Plant location: Sighted on June 6, 2008 in the foothills of the Colorado Rocky Mountains approximately 40 miles from Denver. Can be found in fairly diverse habitats; meadows, roadsides, open forest, and dry hillsides...for example.Plant -
Bloom season: Spring and summer.Foliage -
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-