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Stellaria media

(L.) Vill. (1789)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-CoreEudicot Order: Caryophyllales Family: Caryophyllaceae Genus: Stellaria

common chickweed, stitchwort

Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Slender annual or perennial herbs.

Stems: Stems often swollen at the nodes, trailing, matted, or weakly ascending, 1–8 dm long, pubescent in lines.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Opposite. Blades ovate to elliptic, (0.5–)1–3(–4) cm long, (0.3–) 0.8–1.5(–2) cm wide. Apex acute or shortly acuminate. Base leaf base rounded to cuneate. Surfaces glabrous or ciliate at base. Margins entire. Petioles 0–2 cm long, often ciliate. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in cymes or solitary, terminal or appearing lateral. Flowers bisexual (perfect), actinomorphic. Pedicels ascending to recurved. Calyx of 4–5 sepals; sepals 3.5–6 mm long, villous, apex obtuse to acute; distinct, nearly distinct, or connate into a conspicuous tube. Corolla of 4–5 petals; petals slightly shorter than the sepals, 2–cleft, or sometimes absent. Stamens 3–10; distinct or adnate to petals at base to form a short tube, which may be adnate to the gynophore or sometimes adnate to lower part of calyx, petaloid staminodes sometimes present; anthers dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits. Ovary superior; styles [2–]3(–5), capitate to clavate, 0.2–7 mm, glabrous proximally; stigmas [2–]3(–5), terminal or subterminal.

Fruit: Capsules ovoid; 3.5–7 mm long; dehiscent by twice as many or sometimes as many valves as styles. Seeds reddish brown; suborbicular; 1–1.1 mm long; papillose; perisperm starchy; hard or rarely soft; true endosperm absent.

Ploidy: 2n = 28; 36–44

Habitat: Naturalized primarily in mesic sites.

Elevation Range: 50–3,950 m.

Historical Distribution

Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

Mokupāpapa (Kure atoll) Naturalized
Kuaihelani (Midway Atoll) Naturalized
Kaua'i Naturalized
O'ahu Naturalized
Molokai Naturalized
Lana'i Naturalized
Maui Naturalized
Hawai'i Naturalized

Dispersal Agents

Wind
Birds

Vegetative Reproduction

Pollinators

Notes

  • Description digitized by Mercedez
  • Description digitized from the Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii
  • First collected on Lana'i in 1930

Bibliography

Name Published In: Hist. Pl. Dauphiné 3: 615 (1789)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:526 (Ku, K, O, L, M, H); Starr et al. 2003:26 (Mi); Oppenheimer 2010:34 (Mo); Starr & Starr 2008/Starr 010520-2 BISH (Mi†, 2001); Munro 488 BISH (L†, 1930)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Description Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Stellaria media Kealia trail, ascent up the cliff Moist area along the trail in otherwise dry area Preserved_Specimen Small patch seen, uncommon Faccenda, K. 2152 Oahu BISH 2021-11-06
2 Stellaria media Waianae Mts., Kupehau Gulch, Pipe Line Trail moist soil Preserved_Specimen Cowan, R.S. 164 Oahu BISH 1946-10-13
3 Stellaria media National Park, Kilauea C.C.C. Camp open grass Preserved_Specimen prostrate; fls white Fagerlund, G.O. 318 Hawaii BISH 1943-02-10
4 Stellaria media Honaunau Forest, South Kona, near Kealakekua Ranch Growing on the ground with Pennisetum clandestinum and Microlaena stipoides in open Metrosideros-Acacia koa forest. Pahoehoe substrate. Preserved_Specimen Small herbaceous plant. Flowers white. Cuddihy, L.W. 288 Hawaii BISH 1980-04-01
5 Stellaria media Waihanau Stream disturbed, shady intermittent stream bed, among rocks; Metrosideros, Dicranopteris, Psidium, Fraxinus, Rubus, Solanum, Erigeron Preserved_Specimen weed Oppenheimer, H.L. 90813 Molokai BISH 2008-09-25
6 Stellaria media Makolelau. Remnant dry forest. Preserved_Specimen Matted, weakly ascending herb, 0.3 m tall. Flower parts whitish when dry. Rare. Hughes, G.D. 36 Molokai BISH 1992-03-16
7 Stellaria media Waianae Mts., Pohakea Pass along trail in disturbed, Casuarina dominated area Preserved_Specimen Herbst, D.R. 465 Oahu BISH 1967-04-29
8 Stellaria media Pokanaka, Parker Ranch plowed field Preserved_Specimen Ewart III, G.R. 175 Hawaii BISH 1932-04-21
9 Stellaria media Peacock Flats, N of Mokuleia Beach, Keaiu Trail on last slope leading to quarry Preserved_Specimen Herb in small groups, light green, flowers white van Royen, P. 10210 Oahu BISH 1968-02-18
10 Stellaria media Puu Laau, near hunter's cabin Preserved_Specimen weed Herbst, D.R. 5216 Hawaii BISH 1975-01-18
11 Stellaria media Waianae Range, S Palawai Gulch Preserved_Specimen Wilbur, R.L. 562 Oahu BISH 1948-03-26
12 Stellaria media Mauna Kea, by Lake Waiau Preserved_Specimen Neal, M.C. 1000 Hawaii BISH 1935-08-14
13 Stellaria media Koele Preserved_Specimen Munro, G.C. 488 Lanai BISH 1930-01-08
14 Stellaria media along Saddle Rd., 8.9 mi from jct. Hawaii Belt Rd. (Hwy 190) Preserved_Specimen Wagner, W.L. 5572 Hawaii BISH 1985-06-25
15 Stellaria media Kealia trail Preserved_Specimen Bennett, T. 237 Oahu BISH 1981-03-25
16 Stellaria media Kilauea, Volcano House Preserved_Specimen Student at University of Hawaii 99 Hawaii BISH 1933-07-06
17 Stellaria media Along Kaluanui Stream Preserved_Specimen Corn, C. Oahu BISH 1978-03-21
18 Stellaria media Pohakaloa Burn, above Military Camp, Mauna Kea Preserved_Specimen Adee, K.T. Hawaii BISH
19 Stellaria media Palehua Road at the tower building before trailhead to Palikea. Growing alongside the tower building. Preserved_Specimen Herb 10 cm tall. Leaves opposite, with long petioles. Line of hairs present on stem. No flowers present; calyx fuzzy. Two plants seen. Rellamas, P. 465 Oahu BISH 2017-03-02
20 Stellaria media Pookanaka paddock, Puukapu, Waimea, S.Kohala moist places Preserved_Specimen delicate, branching freely at base, fls. white, decumbent Hosaka, E.Y. 2136 Hawaii BISH 1938-06-02
21 Stellaria media Kula, near foot of Haleakala Road pot of nursery stock of pine seedlings near dwelling Preserved_Specimen Procumbent, petals white, deeply cleft Fosberg, F.R. 55693 Maui BISH 1975-03-16
22 Stellaria media Na Pali Coast, Awa- awapuhi valley Growing beside stream. Preserved_Specimen Small herb. Flowers white. Corn, C. 385 Kauai BISH 1979-07-19
23 Stellaria media near Puu Ahumoa, Kaohe Game Management Area, Hamakua under Myoporum and Sophora. Open forest Preserved_Specimen Nagata, K.M. 2447 Hawaii BISH 1982-04-06
24 Stellaria media Na Pali Coast, Honopu Valley beside stream Preserved_Specimen low spreading herb, flowers white Corn, C. 370 Kauai BISH 1979-07-17
25 Stellaria media Paeahu, Kula, Makawao grassy pasture Preserved_Specimen Hosaka, E.Y. 1744 Maui BISH 1937-01-26
26 Stellaria media Kaena, Waialua, Manini Gulch on floor among rocks; with Commelina diffusa and grasses Preserved_Specimen Weak, decumbent herb. Stems succulent; with a single row of hairs. Corolla white, bilobed. Nagata, K.M. 1629 Oahu BISH 1978-04-25
27 Stellaria media Waianae Mts., Kealia crawling on open rocky place Preserved_Specimen Hosaka, E.Y. 1321 Oahu BISH 1936-02-02
28 Stellaria media Green Island, LORAN Barracks foundation and lawn weed Preserved_Specimen Herbst, D.R. 6256 Kure Atoll BISH 1979-01-04
29 Stellaria media Na Pali Coast, Honopu Valley beside stream Preserved_Specimen low spreading herb, flowers white Corn, C. 370 Kauai BISH 1979-07-17
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