Cerastium arvense

From Puget Prairie Plants
Revision as of 08:45, 14 May 2012 by Stamic06 (Talk | contribs) (Description)

Common name: Field chickweed

CEAR.jpg

Abbreviation code: CEAR

Taxonomy

  • Kingdom: Plantae
  • (unranked): Angiosperms
  • (unranked): Eudicots
  • (unranked): Core eudicots
  • Order: Caryophyllales
  • Family: Caryophyllaceae
  • Genus: Cerastium
  • Species: C. arvense

Description

General: Tufted perennial, often forming loose mats to 4 dm. broad, glabrous to glandular-pubescent, the flowering stems 5-50 cm. tall.

Leaves: Leaves opposite, linear to narrowly lanceolate, 1-nerved, 1-3 cm. long; cauline leaves often with bundles of secondary leaves in their axils.

Flowers: Flowers 3 to 5 or more in an open inflorescence; pedicels slender, erect, 1-3 cm. long; sepals 5, 4-6 mm. long, with stalked glands; petals 5, white, twice as long as the sepals, deeply bi-lobed-obcordate; stamens 10; styles 5. Fruit: Capsule membranous, cylindric, slightly curved, 1.5 times as long as the sepals, opening by 10 teeth.

Bloom Period

Distribution

Habitat

Uses

Propagation

Seed

Cerastium arvense seeds
Photo Credit Lisa Hintz

Seed sample from: 2011

Average Measurement: 0.9 x 0.9 x 0.5

Measurement Range: L: 0.75 – 1, W: 0.8 – 1, D: 0.4 – 0.6


Shape: Seed somewhat kidney shaped, narrower at hilum and broadening at opposite apex. Hilum pinched.

Color: Rusty brown to orange brown. Hilum white.

Surface: Matte and covered with many small bumps, arranged in concentric half circles originating at the hilum and broadening at the opposite apex.

Latitudinal Cross Section: elliptical CEAR lat.png

Longitudinal Cross Section: obovate CEAR long.png

Basic Explanations and Assumptions:

The dimensions for the seeds are length x width x depth. The location of the hilum is used as the base of the seed, and the length is measured from hilum to the opposite apex. Where a style is present, the length is measured from the hilum to the bottom of the style. Width is measured at a right angle to the length at the widest part. Depth is measured at a right angle to the intersection of height and width lines.

Measurements included are the mean average for each measurement of ten separate seeds.

All measurements in millimeters unless otherwise noted.


Photo Gallery

References