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Photographer: Emmet J. Judziewicz
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Family Caryophyllaceae
Cerastium arvense L.
field chickweed, starry grasswort
Cerastium: from Greek keras, "a horn," referring to the shape of the seed capsule
arvense: of planted fields
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| Status: | Native |
| Plant: | erect, perennial, 6"-16" tall forb, branched, often matting at the base |
| Flower: | white with a green center, 5-parted, 1/2" wide, petals 2-lobed and 2-3 times longer than the sepals;  inflorescence a terminal, branched cluster (cyme); blooms May-Aug. |
| Fruit: | cylindrical capsule |
| Leaf: | mostly linear, stalkless |
| Habitat: | disturbed sites, prairies; in gravelly, rocky, sandy soil |
| (Glossary) |
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