What is chickweed?
Common Chickweed is a cool weather plant native to Europe that has widely naturalized in the United States and throughout the world. It’s often found in lawns and other areas of sun to partial shade in moist soil.
Where can I buy chickweed seeds?
As chickweed is grown in some gardens as a ground cover or as a lettuce plant, mostly all seed producers offer chickweed seeds. You can also purchase fresh plants in garden center or online. For the healing use of the plant, dried leaves of the plants can be bought.
How big do chickweed plants grow?
The common chickweed is a typical ground-cover plant. The annual plant usually reaches stature heights of 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 in), but can also grow up to 30 cm (12 in). Chickweed form a fine, flat root system that contains many dark brown to light brown strongly branched root hairs.
What temperature does chickweed die?
In a temperate climate like our southern Appalachians, chickweed normally appears during the cooler temperatures of fall and dies back in the late spring or early summer heat, but it’s typically considered an early spring plant. It thrives between 53° and 68°F.
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Is chickweed an invasive species?
Chickweed grass is an invasive species in North America, with the scientific name Stellaria media. It's a member of the plant family Caryophyllaceae. It immigrated to America along with European settlers and began to spread throughout the continent, where it became one of the most common weeds on American lawns.
Where does chickweed grow naturally?
Common chickweed is found throughout most of California, except in the Mojave Desert, up to 4300 feet (about 1300 m) and is especially common in lawns and landscaped areas. It inhabits agricultural land and other disturbed sites. It can harbor several viruses and other pests that affect a variety of vegetable crops.
Is chickweed native to the US?
It is a native North American plant, grows only in wild habitats, and makes a nice addition to the spring wildflower display throughout much of North America.
What animal eats chickweed?
Vertebrate animals also feed on Common Chickweed and other Stellaria spp. The seeds of such plants are eaten by the Mourning Dove, Chipping Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, House Sparrow, and Field Sparrow; the Ruffed Grouse also browses on the leaves.
Why do dogs eat chickweed?
Internal use: lymph stimulant, anti-tumor, digestive support, anti-inflammatory, prebiotic. Excellent alternative to calendula in the summer as chickweed is cooling.
What are the benefits of chickweed?
Chickweed has long been used for healing and soothing purposes, such as reducing inflammation and fighting germs. It may also promote weight maintenance and act as an expectorant when you're sick. Feel the positive effects of turmeric and organic ginger on your immune system.
Is chickweed good for the garden?
Chickweed (Stellaria media) Chickweed shows up in disturbed soil such as garden beds and highly tilled areas, indicating low fertility. Nutrient Accumulator: Chickweed is said to accumulate potassium and phosphorus. Beneficial Insects: Chickweed attracts pollinators searching for nectar in the spring and early summer.
Can humans eat chickweed?
Chickweed as food Young leaves and shoots, raw or cooked as a potherb, are delicious. Very nutritious, they can be added to salads whilst the cooked leaves can scarcely be distinguished from spring spinach. Seed – ground into a powder and used in making bread or to thicken soups.
Why is chickweed called chickweed?
Also, chickweed is not an early riser: The blossoms open late in the morning. And it's called chickweed because chickens love it. There are some reasonably close look-alikes, but three things separates chickweed from poisonous pretenders.
Is chickweed good for wildlife?
Common chickweed is an important food for wildlife. Because it flowers in cool weather, it provides seed for song- birds and gamebirds in early spring.
Is chickweed good for birds?
The seeds of chickweed are a food source for chaffinches and other small birds. Chickweed also provides food for insects, including several species of ground beetles. Although this plant can be beneficial to wildlife, gardeners may want to control its spread.
Is chickweed a wildflower?
Stellaria pubera, or Star Chickweed, is a perennial herbaceous wildflower in the carnation family about 6 to 12 inches tall and sparingly branched. Of all the Chickweeds, Star Chickweed is probably the most attractive due to its star-shaped white flowers.
Why do I have chickweed in my lawn?
The presence of Chickweed might indicate that you have Compacted Soil. This weed is very competitive, as it tolerates drought and lawn mower wear and tear well. Although Chickweed is an annual broadleaf weed, it's known to grow throughout the season and can transform from flower to seed to plant in roughly five weeks.
Should I pull chickweed?
The best way to kill chickweed is by pulling as much of it out of the ground as possible by hand. Both species have shallow roots and can be easily removed by hoeing or hand pulling. However, since new plants can develop from mouse-ear rootstock, removing the entire plant is how to kill chickweed.
How is chickweed spread?
Its cousin, Mouseear chickweed, is a perennial, meaning the same weed continues to grow year after year. If ignored it will continue reseeding itself, producing “offspring” that will help it spread. It can also produce new roots at each node (the point where the leaf meets the stem) when the stem meets bare soil.
Is chickweed good for the garden?
Chickweed (Stellaria media) Chickweed shows up in disturbed soil such as garden beds and highly tilled areas, indicating low fertility. Nutrient Accumulator: Chickweed is said to accumulate potassium and phosphorus. Beneficial Insects: Chickweed attracts pollinators searching for nectar in the spring and early summer.
Where does chickweed come from?
Chickweed is an herb native to Europe and can be added to salads and other foods. It is said to have a mildly floral, grass-like flavor likened to corn silks. It can be eaten raw or cooked as a vegetable. The weed also serves as a host plant for the larva of the Venerable Dart and Chickweed Geometer moths.
What is chickweed in winter?
Common chickweed is a low, spreading, winter annual weed that germinates when we receive lots of cool, wet weather.
How long does chickweed seed last?
It is tolerant of a variety of conditions and thrives in moist, shady locations. This weed can produce seeds five weeks after germination and will continue to produce seeds for months. Each common chickweed plant can produce over 800 seeds and the seeds can lay dormant in soil for up to 10 years. Even once the weed is uprooted, it can continue to produce seeds and can even reestablish itself, if left on the ground.
Can chickweed be a host plant?
On the other hand, chickweed can serve as a host plant for problematic insects such as spider mites and thrips and be a reservoir host for tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) and cucumber mosaic virus (CMV). If this document didn’t answer your questions, please contact HGIC at [email protected] or 1-888-656-9988.
What is chickweed called?
The name " chickweed " most notably describes Common Chickweed ( Stellaria media ), although there are several other chickweeds, all in the genus Stellaria .
How big does chickweed grow?
The stringy but succulent stems of chickweed can grow up to a foot and a half or so and produce tiny white flowers throughout the growing season.
What happens when you pull a chickweed stem apart?
3) The inner stem of chickweed is elastic, so if you gently pull the stem apart, the outer sheath will separate while the inner part will stretch.
How many meals can chickweed weed eat in a day?
Since chickweed is so prolific, it’s really easy to get enough for a meal or 10 in a short time.
When does chickweed die?
In a temperate climate like our southern Appalachians, chickweed normally appears during the cooler temperatures of fall and dies back in the late spring or early summer heat, but it’s typically considered an early spring plant.
Is chickweed a pest?
Chickweed is a common yard weed--it’s considered a pest by some so be sure not to gather it in areas that have been spray ed with pesticide.
Is chickweed a good plant?
The flavor is often compared with corn silk. It’s pleasant and mild. Chickweed is excellent raw -- use it like sprouts; eat it in sandwiches, wraps, etc. And of course it’s a great base for salad.
Where does chickweed come from?
It is not reconstructable today, where the plant originally came from. What is certain, however, is that the plant is of European-Asian origin. The chickweed can be found today on almost every continent. They are found mainly in the lowlands. In the high mountains, however, it can still grow up to 1,800 meters (5,900 feet).
What is the family of chickweed?
Chickweed (Stellaria media) belongs to the family of the pinks (Caryophyllaceae). The plant also belongs to the genus of stitchwort (Stellaria), which includes nearly 200 species. These include also the addersmeat or the alsine-like starwort.
How big do chickweed leaves get?
Chickweed has ovate and slightly tapered leaves, which have a smooth leaf margin and grow up to 0.5 and 2 cm (0.2 to 0.8 in). From the lead node to the tip, a darker leaf venation is usually visible. The leaves grow opposite each other on the multi-branched stems.
What is chickweed used for?
Chickweed is used in herbal quark, herbal butter and spreads. In addition, it goes well with green smoothies, it is mild and fresh all year round.
How tall does chickweed grow?
The common chickweed is a typical ground-cover plant. The annual plant usually reaches stature heights of 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 in), but can also grow up to 30 cm (12 in). Chickweed form a fine, flat root system that contains many dark brown to light brown strongly branched root hairs.
How to grow chickweed?
Chickweed is very easy to grow. In the house or on the windowsill, it can be grown almost the entire year. In the field, the seeds can be so wn from mid-March . The plant needs dark to germ. The seeds should be pressed about 1 to 1.5 cm (0.4 to 0.6 inches) into the ground. Immediately after sowing, the soil should be moderately moistened. As a rule, the first sprouts appear after 7 to 14 days. A planting distance is not to be considered. A cultivation on the balcony or terrace is also possible. Flat pots or window boxes will do fine.
When do chickweed flowers bloom?
With a favorable annual climate, the herb blooms all year round. However, new plants usually start flowering in mid-May. There, the common chickweed forms five-petalled white petals, each of which is in two parts. The small flowers themselves are arranged in small cymes. Each flower contains up to five stamens.
What is chickweed used for?
This species is used as a cooling herbal remedy, and grown as a vegetable crop and ground cover for both human and poultry consumption. It is sometimes called common chickweed to distinguish it from other plants called chickweed. Other common names include chickenwort, craches, maruns, and winterweed.
Where is the sage plant found?
In both Europe and North America this plant is common in gardens, fields, and disturbed grounds where it grows as a ground cover.
Where does Stellaria media grow?
Stellaria media, chickweed, is an annual and perennial flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. It is native to Eurasia and naturalized throughout the world. This species is used as a cooling herbal remedy, and grown as a vegetable crop and ground cover for both human and poultry consumption. It is sometimes called common chickweed to distinguish it from other plants called chickweed. Other common names include chickenwort, craches, maruns, and winterweed. The plant germinates in autumn or late winter, then forms large mats of foliage .
What is the name of the yellow shell moth?
The larvae of the European moth yellow shell ( Camptogramma bilineata ), of North American moths pale-banded dart ( Agnorisma badinodis) or dusky cutworm ( Agrotis venerabilis ), or North American butterfly dainty sulphur ( Nathalis iole) all feed on chickweed. It is susceptible to downy mildew caused by the oomycete species Peronospora alsinearum.
Is Stellaria media edible?
Stellaria media is edible and nutritious, and is used as a leaf vegetable, often raw in salads. It is one of the ingredients of the symbolic dish consumed in the Japanese spring-time festival, Nanakusa-no-sekku. Some varieties or similar species may be too fibrous to eat.
When does chickweed bloom?
It typically blooms in early to mid spring.
What is the name of the chickweed that is mat-forming?
There are two chickweeds (Stellaria media and Cerastium fontanum) that are virtually indistinguishable unless closely examined. Both are mat-forming, in the Caryophyllaceae family, and occur in many countries.
How long are chickweed leaves?
Chickweed leaves occur opposite, are toothless, stalkless, and somewhat variable in shape. Lower leaves are spatula to egg-shaped, .8 to 2.5 cm long and .6 to 1.2 cm wide, the upper leaves becoming more lance-elliptic to oblong.
How many petals does chickweed have?
They open into loose branching clusters with age on 1/2 inch hairy stalks. Each flower is about 1 cm across with 5 deeply notched white petals, usually with ten stamens with light yellow to greenish or even reddish anthers and a round green ovary in the centre with 5 filament-like styles at the top. The five sepals are about as long as the petals, lance shaped with fine, spreading hairs on the outer surface. Flower stalks are also slightly hairy; at flowering time they are erect to ascending and longer than the sepals, spreading more when fruiting.
How tall does a wild edible grow?
This tasty wild edible grows from 5 cm to 50 cm tall. The stems may be erect but typically sprawl along the ground, rooting at the nodes, with short sterile branches crowded around the base, the longer flowering branches barely ascending towards the tip.
Is chickweed hairy?
Flower stalks are also slightly hairy; at flowering time they are erect to ascending and longer than the sepals, spreading more when fruiting. Fields of Nutrition has medicinal benefits and vitamin/mineral content of Chickweed.
Is mouse ear chickweed edible?
This edible plant is multi-functional since its presence decreases insect damage to other plants.
Where do chickweeds grow?
They tend to grow prolifically in sunny or partially sunny patches of grass where there’s moist soil, usually in the fall and in early spring.
What Is Chickweed?
The herb called chickweed ( Stellaria media ), also sometimes referred to as common chickweed, is a plant native to Europe that’s used for several medicinal purposes. There are actually several different species of plants in the Stelleria genus that are called chickweed, which are members of the carnation plant family ( Caryophyllaceae).
How to use chickweed oil for itchy skin?
There are several ways to use this plant to soothe inflamed and itchy skin, including by making a natural salve with homemade chickweed oil or adding some brewed chickweed tea or fresh juice to compresses or poultices. For astringent and cleansing effects, a tincture may also be used on the skin.
Why does chickweed help clean, moisturize and protect the skin?
Why does chickweed help clean, moisturize and protect the skin? In addition to its ability to reduce inflammation, it also contains steroidal saponins that form foam when combined with water.
How to identify chickweed?
Here are some tips for helping you to identify chickweed: Look for succulent stems that grow up to a foot and a half. A single line of hair grows down the middle of the stem. Chickweed also produces tiny white flowers throughout the growing season.
What are the side effects of chickweed?
What are the side effects of chickweed? Consuming it in high amounts may lead to digestive issues and other effects.
What is the name of the plant that produces white flowers?
There are actually several different species of plants in the Stelleria genus that are called chickweed, which are members of the carnation plant family ( Caryophyllaceae). The plant earned its name due to the cluster of white flowers it produces.
Where does chickweed grow?
It grows throughout North America, but is infrequent in the Southeast. Plants in the western U.S. have somewhat larger flowers than those in the East.
What is field chickweed?
Field chickweed ( Cerastium arvense) is in the pink family (Caryophyllaceae), which is a group of about 3,000 species worldwide, with many of them being cultivated ornamentals.
Is chickweed native to North America?
It is a native North American plant, grows only in wild habitats, and makes a nice addition to the spring wildflower display throughout much of North America. PLANTS Profile - Cerastium arvense, field chickweed.
Is chickweed a weed?
These plants have inconspicuous flowers and are considered weeds by anyone wanting a well ma nicured lawn. Conversely, field chickweed is a pretty little plant that does not deserve the stigma of being associated with its weedy relatives.
Plant Characteristics and Classification Ofchickweed
Chickweed – Cultivation and Care
Use of Chickweed
Buy Chickweed – What to Pay Attention to?
- Origin andoccurrence of the chickweed
It is not reconstructable today, where the plant originally came from. What is certain, however, is that the plant is of European-Asian origin. The chickweed can be found today on almost every continent. They are found mainly in the lowlands. In the high mountains, however, it can still gro… - Plant orderof chickweed
Chickweed (Stellaria media)belongs to the family of the pinks (Caryophyllaceae). The plant alsobelongs to the genus of stitchwort (Stellaria), which includes nearly200 species. These include also the addersmeat or the alsine-likestarwort. The today’s name is connected with the p…