Stellaria palustris

Plants perennial, with slender creeping rhizomes. Stems straggling, with erect branches, smoothly 4-angled, (20–)30–60 cm, glabrous. Leaves sessile; blade linear-lanceolate, 1.5–5 cm × 1–4 mm, base cuneate, margins smooth, apex acute, glabrous, usually glaucous. Inflorescences terminal, (1–)2–21-flowered cymes; bracts narrowly lanceolate, 2–7 mm, herbaceous or scarious with green midrib, not ciliate. Pedicels ascending, 30–100 mm, glabrous. Flowers 12–18 mm diam.; sepals 5, distinctly 3-veined, lanceolate, 6–8 mm, margins wide, scarious, apex acute, glabrous; petals 5, 7–10 mm, 1.5–2 times as long as sepals; stamens 10; styles 3, erect, 5–7 mm; stigmas club-shaped. Capsules green to straw colored, ovoid-oblong, 8–10 mm, ± equaling sepals, apex acute, opening by 6 valves; carpophore absent. Seeds dark reddish brown, round, 1.2–1.4 mm diam., tuberculate; tubercles shallow, round. 2n = 130–188 (Europe), ca. 198.

Phenology: Flowering early summer.
Habitat: Hayfields and pastures subject to seasonal flooding
Elevation: 0-20 m

Distribution

• Generated Map
• Legacy Map

Que., Europe.

Discussion

Stellaria palustris is found along the Saint Lawrence estuary.

Selected References

McNeill, J. and J. N. Findlay 1972. Introduced perennial species of Stellaria in Quebec. Naturaliste Canad. 99: 59–60.

Lower Taxa

None.