Stellaria media

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Common chickweed
Kaldari Stellaria media 01.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Caryophyllaceae
Genus: Stellaria
Species:
S. media
Binomial name
Stellaria media
Synonyms
  • Alsine mediaL.
  • Stellaria media subsp. typicaBég.
  • Stellularia media(L.) Kuntze

Stellaria media, chickweed, is an annual flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. It is native to Eurasia and naturalized throughout the world, where it is a weed of waste ground, farmland and gardens. It is sometimes grown as a salad crop or for poultry consumption.

Contents

Description

Chickweed is a hardy annual which flowers throughout the year in northern Europe, in mild weather. [1] The stems are terete and glabrous with a lax and sprawling growth habit, up to 40 cm (16 inches) long and 1 millimetre (1⁄16 in) in diameter, with a line (very occasionally 2 lines) of hairs running straight down its length, alternating sides at the nodes. The petioles are 5 to 8 mm long with hairy margins. The leaves are green, hairless, oval and opposite, 6 to 25 mm (1⁄4 to 1 in) long by 3 to 10 mm (1⁄8 to 3⁄8 in) wide with a hydathode at the tip. [2] [3]

The flowers are small, less than 1 cm in diameter, with 5 bifid white petals, 1–3 mm long, nestled inside the larger (3–5 mm long) sepals. These sepals have long, wavy (villous) hairs on their outer (distal) sides and are oval in shape, and usually 5 in number. There are often only 3 stamens but sometimes more (up to 8) and 3 styles. Many publications state that chickweed sometimes has no petals at all, but this may be due to confusion with lesser chickweed, which used to be considered a subspecies but is now considered to be a species in its own right. [4] [3] [5] [6]

The flowers quickly form capsules. Plants may have flowers and capsules at the same time.

Chemistry

The anthraquinones emodin, parietin (physcion) and questin, the flavonoid kaempferol-3,7-O-α-L-dirhamnoside, the phytosterols β-sitosterol and daucosterol, and the fatty alcohol 1-hexacosanol can be found in S. media. [7] Other flavonoid constituents are apigenin 6-C-beta-D-galactopyranosyl-8-C-alpha-L-arabinopyranoside, apigenin 6-C-alpha-L-arabinopyranosyl-8-C-beta-D-galactopyranoside, apigenin 6-C-beta-D-galactopyranosyl-8-C-beta-L-arabinopyranoside, apigenin 6-C-beta-D-glucopyranosyl-8-C-beta-D-galactopyranoside, apigenin 6, 8-di-C-alpha-L-arabinopyranoside. [8] The plant also contains triterpenoid saponins [9] [10] of the hydroxylated oleanolic acid type. [11] Proanthocyanidins are present in the testa of seeds. [12]

Similar species

Chickweeds have a line of hairs along one side of stem. Stellaria media stem hairs.jpg
Chickweeds have a line of hairs along one side of stem.

Chickweeds are recognisable by the line of hairs down the stem. The species most likely to be confused with chickweeds are mouse-ears ( Cerastium ), however, mouse-ears are hairy all over (leaves and stems).

Common chickweed can be differentiated from lesser chickweed by the presence of white petals on the former and from greater chickweed by 3–8 stamens present compared to 8–10 found in greater chickweed. [13] [14] Water chickweed has petals longer than the sepals. [2]

Taxonomy

The name Stellaria media was published by Domínique Villars in Histoire des plantes du Dauphiné in 1789. It has accumulated a huge number of synonyms since then, as well as many putative varieties and subspecies, very few of which are accepted today. [15]

The name Stellaria is derived from the word 'stella' meaning 'star', [16] which is a reference to the shape of its flowers; media is Latin for 'between', 'intermediate', or 'mid-sized'. [17]

It is sometimes called common chickweed to distinguish it from other plants called chickweed. Other common names include chickenwort, craches, maruns, and winterweed.

Distribution and habitat

The sepals have very long hairs Stellaria Media (Common Chickweed).jpg
The sepals have very long hairs
Seeds MHNT Stellaria media MHNT.BOT.2008.1.33.jpg
Seeds MHNT

Stellaria media is widespread in Asia, Europe, North America, and other parts of the world. There are several closely related plants referred to as chickweed, but which lack the culinary properties of plants in the genus Stellaria.

Stellaria media is common in lawns, meadows, waste places, and open areas. [18] [19] Its Ellenberg values in Britain are L = 7, F = 5, R = 6, N = 7, and S = 0. [20]

Ecology

The larvae of the following species of Lepidoptera feed on chickweed: chickweed geometer ( Haematopis grataria ), yellow shell ( Camptogramma bilineata ), pale-banded dart ( Agnorisma badinodis ), dusky cutworm ( Agrotis venerabilis ) and dainty sulphur ( Nathalis iole ). It is susceptible to downy mildew caused by the oomycete species Peronospora alsinearum. [21]

It is eaten by chickens, wild birds, and mountain sheep. [22] [23]

StellariaMedia001.JPG
Stellaria in Nationaal Park De Biesbosch (DSC 3705).jpg

Potential toxicity

Chickweed contains plant chemicals known as saponins, which can be toxic to some species (notably fish). It is unlikely that most land animals will be affected, as the quantities involved are not large. However, it is not advised for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. [24]

Uses

Stellaria media is edible and nutritious, and is used as a leaf vegetable, often raw in salads. [25] It is one of the ingredients of the symbolic dish consumed in the Japanese springtime festival, Nanakusa-no-sekku . Some varieties or similar species may be too fibrous to eat. [26]

It is said to have medicinal properties and is used in folk medicine. It has been used as a remedy to treat itchy skin conditions and pulmonary diseases. [27] 17th-century herbalist John Gerard recommended it as a remedy for mange. Modern herbalists prescribe it for iron-deficiency anemia (for its high iron content), as well as for skin diseases, bronchitis, rheumatic pains, arthritis, and period pain. [28] Not all of these uses are supported by scientific evidence. [29] The plant was used by the Ainu for treating bruises and aching bones. Stems were steeped in hot water before being applied externally to affected areas. [30]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caryophyllaceae</span> Family of flowering plants

Caryophyllaceae, commonly called the pink family or carnation family, is a family of flowering plants. It is included in the dicotyledon order Caryophyllales in the APG III system, alongside 33 other families, including Amaranthaceae, Cactaceae, and Polygonaceae. It is a large family, with 81 genera and about 2,625 known species.

<i>Anagallis arvensis</i> Species of flowering plant in the primrose family

Anagallis arvensis, commonly known as the scarlet pimpernel, red pimpernel, red chickweed, poor man's barometer, poor man's weather-glass, shepherd's weather glass or shepherd's clock, is a species of low-growing annual plant with brightly coloured flowers, most often scarlet but also bright blue and sometimes pink. The native range of the species is Europe and Western Asia and North Africa. The species has been distributed widely by humans, either deliberately as an ornamental flower or accidentally. A. arvensis is now naturalised almost worldwide, with a range that encompasses the Americas, Central and East Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, Malesia, the Pacific Islands, Australasia and Southern Africa.

<i>Stellaria</i> Genus of flowering plants in the carnation family Caryophyllaceae

Stellaria is a genus of about 190 species of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, with a cosmopolitan distribution. Common names include starwort, stitchwort and chickweed.

<i>Agrostemma githago</i> Species of flowering plant in the carnation family Caryophyllaceae

Agrostemma githago, the common corn-cockle, is a herbaceous annual flowering plant a member of Caryophyllaceae, also called the pink family or the carnation family of plants. The name of this genus is derived from Greek: agros (αργοσ) “field” and stemma (στέμμα) “garland, crown."

<i>Calendula officinalis</i> Species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae

Calendula officinalis, the pot marigold, common marigold, ruddles, Mary's gold or Scotch marigold, is a flowering plant in the daisy family, Asteraceae. It is probably native to southern Europe, though its long history of cultivation makes its precise origin unknown. It is also widely naturalised farther north in Europe and elsewhere in warm temperate regions of the world.

<i>Stellaria pubera</i> Species of flowering plant in the carnation family Caryophyllaceae

Stellaria pubera, commonly called the star chickweed, is a spring-flowering plant in the carnation family Caryophyllaceae, native to the eastern United States.

<i>Agrimonia eupatoria</i> Species of plant

Agrimonia eupatoria is a species of agrimony that is often referred to as common agrimony, church steeples or sticklewort.

<i>Holosteum</i> Genus of flowering plants in the carnation family Caryophyllaceae

Holosteum is a genus of plants in the family Caryophyllaceae with 3 or 4 species native from southern Europe through central and south western Asia and in Africa. They are herbs with an annual life span, some growing as winter annuals. They have slender roots and thin stems that are upright or ascending. The genus name was given by Linnaeus, and named because of the sprawling nature of the plants: Greek holos, meaning whole or all, and osteon, meaning bone, because of the frailty of the plant.

<i>Cerastium glomeratum</i> Species of flowering plant in the pink family Caryophyllaceae

Cerastium glomeratum is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae known by the common names sticky mouse-ear chickweed and clammy chickweed. It is native to Europe, Macaronesia to Assam but is known on most continents as an introduced species. It grows in many types of habitat. The blooming period is February, March, April, and May.

<i>Montia fontana</i> Species of flowering plant

Montia fontana, blinks is a herbaceous annual to perennial plant that grows in freshwater springs in upland regions, and in seasonally damp acid grassland in the lowlands. It is widespread throughout the world, except in southern Asia. It is rather variable in morphology, which is reflected in a complex history of taxonomy. Currently, there are three accepted subspecies which are defined largely by the appearance of the seedcoat. It is edible and consumed as a salad in some areas, but is otherwise of minimal economic impact. Because of its association with clean water habitats, it is often viewed as a species of conservation value.

<i>Stellaria graminea</i> Species of flowering plant in the carnation family Caryophyllaceae

Stellaria graminea is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae known by the common names common starwort, grass-leaved stitchwort, lesser stitchwort and grass-like starwort.

<i>Barringtonia acutangula</i> Species of plant

Barringtonia acutangula is a species of Barringtonia native to coastal wetlands in southern Asia and northern Australasia, from Afghanistan east to the Philippines, Queensland and the Northern Territory. Common names include freshwater mangrove, itchytree and mango-pine.

<i>Nymphaea odorata</i> Species of aquatic plant

Nymphaea odorata, also known as the American white waterlily, fragrant water-lily, beaver root, fragrant white water lily, white water lily, sweet-scented white water lily, and sweet-scented water lily, is an aquatic plant belonging to the genus Nymphaea. It can commonly be found in shallow lakes, ponds, and permanent slow moving waters throughout North America where it ranges from Central America to northern Canada. It is also reported from Brazil and Guyana.

<i>Erodium moschatum</i> Species of flowering plant

Erodium moschatum is a species of flowering plant in the geranium family known by the common names musk stork's-bill and whitestem filaree. This is a weedy annual or biennial herb which is native to much of Eurasia and North Africa but can be found on most continents where it is an introduced species.

<i>Stellaria neglecta</i> Species of flowering plant in the carnation family Caryophyllaceae

Stellaria neglecta, greater chickweed, is an annual to short-lived herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. It is native to Europe and Asia, where it grows in hedges and woodland margins on neutral to slightly acid, damp soils, and is widespread but rarely abundant. It has been introduced to North America, where it has been spreading in recent decades.

<i>Stellaria apetala</i> Species of flowering plant in the carnation family Caryophyllaceae

Stellaria apetala, lesser chickweed, is an annual herbaceous plant in the flowering plant family Caryophyllaceae. It occurs in short, sandy grassland by the sea and, less often, in similar habitat inland. It is native to Europe and is well established as an introduced species worldwide.

<i>Engellaria</i> Species of flowering plant

Engellaria obtusa is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae known by the common names Rocky Mountain chickweed, blunt-sepaled starwort, and obtuse starwort. It is the sole species in genus Engellaria. It is native to western North America, from British Columbia and Alberta to California to Colorado, where it grows in moist areas in forests and on mountain slopes.

<i>Stellaria alsine</i> Species of flowering plant in the carnation family Caryophyllaceae

Stellaria alsine, the bog stitchwort, is a species of herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the carnation family Caryophyllaceae. It grows in bogs and marshes in Europe and parts of North America.

<i>Stellaria pungens</i> Species of plant

Stellaria pungens, commonly known as prickly starwort, is a flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae and is endemic to eastern Australia. It is a small, mat forming perennial with white star-shaped flowers and small sharply pointed, bright green leaves.

Stellaria corei, with the common names of Tennessee chickweed, star chickweed, Tennessee starwort, and Tennessee stitchwort, is a species of flowering plant native to parts of Eastern USA.

References

  1. ↑ "Stellaria media". RHS. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  2. 1 2 Stace, C.A. (2019). New Flora of the British Isles. Suffolk. ISBN   978-1-5272-2630-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. 1 2 Poland, John; Clement, Eric (2009). The Vegetative Key to the British Flora. Southampton: John Poland. ISBN   978-0-9560144-0-5.
  4. ↑ Parnell, J. and Curtis, T. 2012. Webb's An Irish Flora. Cork University Press. ISBN   978-185918-4783
  5. ↑ Rose, Francis (2006). The Wild Flower Key. London: Frederick Warne. ISBN   978-0-7232-5175-0.
  6. ↑ Stellaria media var. apetala (Ucria ex Roem.) Gaudin. "Global Biodiversity Information Forum" . Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  7. ↑ Studies on the Chemical Constituents From Stellaria media (II). Huang Yuan, Dong Qi, Qiao Shan-Yi, Pharmaceutical Journal of Chinese People's Liberation Army, 2007-03 (abstract) (Article in Chinese)
  8. ↑ Dong, Q; Huang, Y; Qiao, SY (2007). "Studies on chemical constituents from stellaria media. I". Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi = Zhongguo Zhongyao Zazhi = China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica (in Chinese). 32 (11): 1048–51. PMID   17672340.
  9. ↑ Hu, Y.M.; Wang, H.; Ye, W.C.; Qian, L. (2009). "New triterpenoid fromStellaria media(L.) Cyr". Natural Product Research. 23 (14): 1274–8. doi:10.1080/14786410701642532. PMID   19735039. S2CID   34873907.
  10. ↑ Weng, A; Thakur, M; Beceren-Braun, F; Gilabert-Oriol, R; Boettger, S; Melzig, MF; Fuchs, H (2012). "Synergistic interaction of triterpenoid saponins and plant protein toxins". Planta Medica. 78 (11). doi:10.1055/s-0032-1320271.
  11. ↑ Böttger, Stefan; Melzig, Matthias F. (2011). "Triterpenoid saponins of the Caryophyllaceae and Illecebraceae family". Phytochemistry Letters. 4 (2): 59. Bibcode:2011PChL....4...59B. doi:10.1016/j.phytol.2010.08.003.
  12. ↑ Bittrich, V.; Amaral, Maria Do Carmo E. (1991). "Proanthocyanidins in the testa of centrospermous seeds". Biochemical Systematics and Ecology. 19 (4): 319. Bibcode:1991BioSE..19..319B. doi:10.1016/0305-1978(91)90020-Z.
  13. ↑ Morton, John K. (5 November 2020). "Stellaria media - FNA". Flora of North America. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  14. ↑ Morton, John K. (5 November 2020). "Stellaria neglecta - FNA". Flora of North America. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  15. ↑ Global Biodiversity Information Facility. "Stellaria media (L.) Vill" . Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  16. ↑ Stearn, William T. (1980). Botanical Latin: History, Grammar, Syntax, Terminology and Vocabulary. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN   0-7153-5645-3.
  17. ↑ Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. ISBN   9780521866453 (hardback), ISBN   9780521685535 (paperback). pp 253, 361
  18. ↑ Hackney, P. (ed) 1992. Stewart and Corry's Flora of the North-east of Ireland. Institute of Irish Studies, The Queen's University of Belfast. ISBN   0-85389-446-9(HB)
  19. ↑ Webb, D.A. Parnell, J. and Doogue, D. 1996. An Irish Flora. Dundalgan Press (W.Tempest) Ltd. ISBN   0-85221-131-7
  20. ↑ Hill, M.O.; Mountford, J.O.; Roy, D.B.; Bunce, R.G.H. (1999). Ellenberg's indicator values for British plants. ECOFACT Volume 2. Technical Annex (PDF). Institute of Terrestrial Ecology. ISBN   1870393481 . Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  21. ↑ Constantinescu, O. (1991). "An annotated list of Peronospora names". Thunbergia. 15.
  22. ↑ Niering, William A.; Olmstead, Nancy C. (1985) [1979]. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers, Eastern Region. Knopf. p. 462. ISBN   0-394-50432-1.
  23. ↑ Angier, Bradford (1974). Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants. Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Books. p. 62. ISBN   0-8117-0616-8. OCLC   799792.
  24. ↑ "Stellaria media". PFAF.org. Plants for a future. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  25. ↑ Stellaria media at Plants for a Future
  26. ↑ Benoliel, Doug (2011). Northwest Foraging: The Classic Guide to Edible Plants of the Pacific Northwest (Rev. and updated ed.). Seattle, WA: Skipstone. p. 63. ISBN   978-1-59485-366-1. OCLC   668195076.
  27. ↑ Hensel, Wolfgang (2008). Medicinal plants of Britain and Europe. London: A&C Black. ISBN   9781408101544.
  28. ↑ Wiest, Renee. "Chickweed". hartonweb.com. Good Health Herbs. Retrieved 15 Dec 2015.
  29. ↑ Howard, Michael (1987). Traditional folk remedies : a comprehensive herbal. London: Century. p. 119. ISBN   0-7126-1731-0.
  30. ↑ Batchelor, J. and Miyabe, K. (n.d.). Ainu economic plants. 1st ed. 1893.

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