Stellaria graminea L.
grass-leaved starwort (grasslike starwort)
Caryophyllaceae (Pink family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
grass-leaved starwort (grasslike starwort)
Caryophyllaceae (Pink family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Perennial herb from a slender rhizome; stems decumbent to ascending, several, branched,4-angled, glabrous or slightly hairy above, 20-90 cm tall/long.
Leaves:
Basal leaves few, reduced, soon deciduous; stem leaves opposite, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, unstalked, 1.5-4 cm long, usually long-fringed at the base, the margins entire; stipules lacking.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of many flowers in a terminal, membranous-bracted, diffuse cluster; petals 5, white, 2-cleft, 4-8 mm long; sepals 5, lanceolate, abruptly sharp-pointed, 3.5-7 mm long, membranous-margined and usually strongly hairy-fringed, 3-nerved.
Fruits:
Capsules green, oblong to egg-shaped, 4-8 mm long, 6-valved; seeds reddish-brown, 0.9-1.1 mm wide, wrinkled in concentric rows.
Illustration
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
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Stellaria graminea
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
1112 | 884 | 1340 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
0 | 0 | 1 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
0 | ||
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
7 | 7 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
E | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
3 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
BWBS | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BWBS(1), CWH(1), SWB(1) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Mesic to dry roadsides, gardens, lawns and disturbed areas in the lowland, steppe and montane zones; infrequent throughout BC; introduced from Eurasia.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Alsine graminea (L.) Britton
Stellaria graminea var. latifolia Peterm.