General:
Perennial herb from a taproot and stoloniferous prostrate stems; forming mats 4-40 cm wide; stems prostrate, glandular-hairy, slender, less than 1 mm in diameter, flowering stems 3-25 cm long.

Leaves:
Basal leaves lacking; stem leaves opposite, narrowly oblong or oblong-lanceolate to spoon-shaped, 5-35 mm long, 3-8 mm wide, sharp-pointed to rounded, hairy; stipules lacking.

Flowers:
Inflorescence of usually 3-6 flowers in an open cluster; petals 5, white, 6-12 mm long, deeply 2-cleft; sepals 5, elliptic, 3-7 mm long, often purplish.

Fruits:
Capsules cylindric, 8-12 mm long, 10-valved; seeds golden to reddish-brown, 0.8-1.2 mm long.

Notes:
Sometimes confused with C. fischerianum where their ranges overlap. Two subspecies occur in BC.

1. Stalks with very fine, short, glandular hairs; plants of S BC..................... ssp. earlei (Rydb.) Hult.

1. Stalks with long glandular hairs, plants of N BC..................... ssp. beeringianum

Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Illustration Source:  The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Cerastium alpinum var. capillare (Fernald & Wiegand) B. Boivin
Cerastium beeringianum var. capillare Fernald & Wiegand
Cerastium earlei Rydb.