Comments
The distinctive characteristic of this chickweed is its dense cluster(s) of flowers. In particular, the pedicels of the flowers are the same length or shorter than the sepals (5 mm. or less). Several other species of chickweeds are similar in appearance, but at least some of their pedicels exceed 5 mm. in length (particularly when their flowers have transformed into seed capsules). The sepals of Glomerate Mouse-Eared Chickweed are somewhat unusual because they are covered with long forward-pointing hairs that may extend beyond their margins; other species of chickweed have sepals with shorter hairs. In general, the various species in the Cerastium genus are called 'Mouse-Eared Chickweeds' because of the shape and hairiness of their leaves; these species usually have 10 stamens and 5 styles per flower. A scientific synonym of Glomerate Mouse-Eared Chickweed is Cerastium viscosum. Because of this defunct scientific name, this species is sometimes called 'Clammy Mouse-Eared Chickweed.'
-
Hilty, J. Editor. 2012. Illinois Wildflowers. World Wide Web electronic publication. flowervisitors.info, version 07/2012.
See: Botanical Terminology and Line Drawings, Ecological Terminology, Website Description, Links to Other Websites, Reference Materials
