Tom the Botanist

Stellaria pallida Lesser Chickweed – 19.02.24

Whilst rummaging in the short turf of Hartlebury Common I spotted this diminutive member of the Campion family Caryophyllaceae.

It is odd amongst Stellaria in that it often has no (or only minute) petals, which is quite a distinctive feature.

-It also has just 1 to 3 stamen, which splits it off from a depauperate Common Chickweed Stellaria media which can have 3 to 8 stamen.

Genera Tips

Stellaria (3) is split off from similar genera within the family such as Myosoton (5) and Cerastium (5) by the number of styles.