Stellaria crassifolia var. linearis Fenzl:
Japan (Asia)
Russian Federation (Asia)
China (Asia)

Stellaria crassifolia Ehrh.:
Canada (North America)
Japan (Asia)
Kazakhstan (Asia)
Mongolia (Asia)
Russian Federation (Asia)
United States (North America)
China (Asia)

United States

Origin: Unknown/Undetermined

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Unknown/Undetermined

Confidence: Confident

United States

Origin: Unknown/Undetermined

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Unknown/Undetermined

Confidence: Confident

Canada

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: Circumboreal, south in western North America to Montana, Idaho, and Colorado. Sparse.

The sterile shoots of Stellaria crassifolia (described as forma gemmificans Norman) form fleshy terminal buds under suitable conditions of temperature and day length. These propagules survive under the snow and are readily dispersed in the spring runoff.  

Leaf shape and size vary considerably. Leaves tend to be smaller and wider in exposed habitats, and longer and narrower in sheltered, more favorable habitats. Plants with pubescent margins to the sepals are referable to var. eriocalycina Schischk.

Stellaria crassifolia is often confused with S. humifusa, but the former is a much more slender, delicate species with long pedicels that are sharply angled below the capsule.

Plants perennial, delicate, forming small to large tangled mats or straggling through grass, from slender rhizomes. Stems diffusely branched, 4-angled, 3-30 cm, gla-brous. Leaves sessile or subsessile; blade with midrib obscure, broadly elliptic-lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, widest at or above middle, 0.2-0.8(-1.5) cm × to 2 mm, ± succulent, base cuneate, margins entire, apex acute to acuminate, glabrous; leaf blades in terminal buds sometimes become fleshy and form gemmae. Inflorescences with flowers usually solitary, terminal and in axils of distal leaves forming open, diffuse cymes; bracts foliaceous, 1-10 mm; 1 or 2 pairs of bracteoles sometimes present, 1-3 mm, herbaceous or with narrow membranous margins. Pedicels erect or sharply angled at base, becoming sharply curved at apex, 3-40 mm, glabrous. Flowers 5-8 mm; sepals 5, 3-veined, narrowly triangular-lanceolate, 3-3.5(-4) mm, margins straight, narrow, scarious, apex acute, glabrous or rarely margins pubescent; petals 5, 2.5-5 mm, equaling to slightly longer than sepals; stamens 5 or 10; styles 3, ascending, curved at tip, ca. 2 mm. Capsules straw colored, conic to ellipsoid, 4-5 mm, longer than sepals, apex obtuse, opening by 6 valves; carpophore absent. Seeds reddish brown, reniform to round, 0.7-1 mm diam., rugose. 2n = 26.

Herbs perennial, glabrous. Stems ascending, quadrangular, 5--14 cm tall, slender, branched. Leaves sessile, ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, 0.5--1.6(--2) cm × 1--4 mm, midvein conspicuously raised abaxially, base nearly rounded or cuneate, apex acuminate. Flower solitary, axillary or terminal; bracts leaflike, herbaceous, without membranous margin. Pedicel 1--2 cm, to 3.5 cm in fruit, slender. Sepals 5, ovate-lanceolate, 3.5--4 × ca. 2 mm, 3-veined, margin broadly membranous, apex acuminate. Petals 5, subequaling sepals, 2-cleft nearly to base; lobes linear. Stamens 10, shorter than petals. Ovary suborbicular; styles 3. Capsule ellipsoid, 1.5--2 × as long as persistent sepals, 6-valved. Seeds brown, compressed globose, ca. 1 mm in diam., tuberculate. Fl. May--Jul, fr. Jun--Aug. 2n = 26.

Stellaria crassifolia var. eriocalycina Schischkin; S. crassifolia var. linearis Fenzl; S. gracilis Richardson

The more common S. LONGIPES has stiff leaves and sepals greater than 3 mm long. S. CALYCANTHA and S. UMBELLATA have petals, if present, that are shorter than the sepals. A hand lens will likely be needed for identification.

Comments: Moist open areas.

Flowering early summer. Marshes, streams, cold, wet, grassy places; 0-3000 m; Alta., B.C., Man., N.B., Nfld. and Labr., N.W.T., N.S., Nunavut, Ont., P.E.I., Que., Sask., Yukon; Alaska, Colo., Ill., Mich., Minn., N.Dak., S.Dak., Utah, Wyo.; Europe; Asia.

River banks, meadows, fields. Nei Mongol, Xinjiang [Japan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia; Europe, North America].

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 0
Species: 10
Species With Barcodes: 1

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: NNR - Unranked

Rounded Global Status Rank: TNR - Not Yet Ranked

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: NNR - Unranked

Rounded Global Status Rank: TNR - Not Yet Ranked

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N4 - Apparently Secure

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

Reasons: Common in northern Northern Hemisphere, with thousands of occurrences.