Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Caryophyllales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Stellaria graminea
FAMILY
Caryophyllaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Lesser Stitchwort at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Stellaria graminea
FAMILY
Caryophyllaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 5 (2005)
Stellaria graminea
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 071-07-003:
Stellaria graminea FAMILY Caryophyllaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH (MISAPPLIED) Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Alsine longifolia
COMMON NAME:
Lesser Stitchwort, Grassleaf Starwort, Common Stitchwort
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
JK Marlow jkm190618_9272
June Greenville County SC
Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area
)
JK Marlow jkm200606_5658
June Haywood County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
Stem glabrous. Leaves lanceolate, elliptic or linear, 4-40mm long, sessile, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm200606_5659
June Haywood County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
)
JK Marlow jkm200606_5682
June Haywood County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
Has an open, many-flowered, divaricately branched terminal inflorescence, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
JK Marlow jkm200606_5682b
June Haywood County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
The 5 petals exceed the sepals and are cleft almost to the base, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Stellaria graminea
FAMILY
Caryophyllaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Stellaria graminea
FAMILY
Caryophyllaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 5
Stellaria graminea
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 071-07-003:
Stellaria graminea
FAMILY
Caryophyllaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH (MISAPPLIED)
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Alsine longifolia
3201
Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Fields, roadsides, pastures, disturbed areas, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: Europe
Uncommon in Carolina Mountains & NC Piedmont (rare elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Opposite
Leaves sessile
Margins entire
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
White
Radially symmetrical
5 sepals
5 petals
5-10 stamens
Superior ovary
Usually bisexual
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer?
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p133
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p009
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p041
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".