General:
Biennial or short-lived perennial herb from taproots and often from sprawling, nodally-rooting branches; forming clumps to 40 cm across; stems decumbent to erect, stiff-hairy and glandular to glandular-hairy, 5-40 cm tall/long.

Leaves:
Basal leaves lacking; stem leaves opposite, oblanceolate or spoon-shaped, 7-25 mm long and 2-10 mm wide, 1-nerved, coarsely hairy; leaves of the flowering stems larger, up to 4 cm long and 15 mm wide; stipules lacking.

Flowers:
Inflorescence several to many in an open cluster; flower stalks generally stiff-hairy; petals 5, white, 2-cleft, 5-7 mm long; sepals 5, 4-7 mm long, stiff-hairy, papery-margined.

Fruits:
Capsules cylindric, 7-10 mm long, 10-valved; seeds 0.6-0.8 mm long, reddish-brown.

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 fontanum (Link) Jalas