# common chickweed (*Stellaria media*) Common chickweed is a small, green plant with tiny white flowers. It grows close to the ground and is often found in gardens and fields, making it a friendly plant to spot while exploring nature. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 6 - **Habitat:** Urban areas ![common chickweed](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Chickweed_%28aka%29.jpg&width=800) Photo: André Karwath aka Aka, CC BY-SA 2.5 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chickweed_%28aka%29.jpg) ## Appearance The common chickweed has small, oval, bright green leaves that grow in a sprawling mat. Its tiny white flowers appear to have ten petals, but each of its five true petals is deeply split, creating a star-like shape. It often forms a dense ground cover. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Caryophyllales - **Family:** Caryophyllaceae - **Genus:** Stellaria ## Interesting facts - Chickweed seeds can stay alive in the soil for over 50 years, waiting for the perfect time to sprout! - If you pull up a chickweed plant, it can sometimes re-root and keep growing if even a small piece is left! - Its scientific name, Stellaria, means 'little star,' because its tiny white flowers look like twinkling stars! - People have used chickweed leaves to soothe itchy skin for hundreds of years, like a natural bandage! ## Special abilities - **Speedy Spreader:** Common chickweed can grow incredibly fast and spread quickly to cover ground, helping it find sunlight and space. - **Winter Warrior:** Common chickweed has a special ability to grow and even flower in cool weather, sometimes even under snow! - **Self-Pollinating Star:** Common chickweed can pollinate itself, ensuring it makes seeds even when no insects are around to help. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 5-50 cm - **Spread:** 10-60 cm - **Flower Size:** 0.5-1 cm - **Bloom Season:** Year-round in mild climates, spring-fall elsewhere - **Edible:** Yes - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Annual - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Eaten by:** [House Sparrow](https://www.snappit.app/explore/house-sparrow) (*Passer domesticus*) — birds love its seeds and tender leaves - **Pollinates:** Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — bees visit its tiny flowers for nectar - **Eaten by:** Spanish Slug (*Arion lusitanicus*) — slugs munch on its tender leaves ## Traits - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Spring Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spring-blooming): Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth. - [Medicinal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/medicinal): Medicinal plants possess chemical compounds that can be used for therapeutic purposes to treat illnesses or maintain health. - [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Rapid Growing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/rapid-growing): Rapid growing plants exhibit accelerated growth rates, quickly increasing in size and biomass within a short period. - [Urban Friendly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/urban-friendly): This habitat trait indicates species that can coexist with humans in urban and suburban environments, utilizing man-made structures and green spaces. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always check with an adult before touching or eating any plants. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify common chickweed? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is common chickweed? 5-50 cm ### How wide does common chickweed spread? 10-60 cm ### How big are the flowers on common chickweed? 0.5-1 cm ### When does common chickweed bloom? Year-round in mild climates, spring-fall elsewhere ### Is common chickweed edible? Yes ### Is common chickweed toxic? None ### What is common chickweed's lifecycle? Annual ## Where to spot - [Bellefontaine Cemetery](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/bellefontaine-cemetery) — Missouri, US · Botanical Garden - [Cambridge Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/cambridge-historic-district) — New York, US · Historic District - [Commerce Street Residential Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/commerce-street-residential-historic-district) — Alabama, US · Historic District - [East Commerce Street Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/east-commerce-street-historic-district) — Alabama, US · Historic District - [Sabine Channel Provincial Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/sabine-channel-provincial-park) — British Columbia, CA · State Park - [Great Wass Island Preserve](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/great-wass-island-preserve) — Maine, US · Nature Reserve [View all places to see common chickweed](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/common-chickweed) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Common Chickweed: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-chickweed)