By Tom Schweich
The low-growing and spreading sub-shrub with happy little white flowers blooming now in all our open spaces and many parks is “Field Chickweed” — Cerastium arvense L. ssp. strictum Gaudin. It thrives in many different habitats, from the sunny spot in New Loveland Mine Park, to Kinney Run, amongst brush on steep slopes of Mt. Galbraith, and in subalpine fields near Leadville. Field chickweed is easy to recognize because the five white petals are deeply notched, sometimes giving the appearance of having ten petals.
Field chickweed is widely distributed around the world and found in all the mountainous counties of Colorado, though not out on the plains. In Jefferson County, our plant is found mostly right along the Front Range, with a few collections in the interior of the county, such as one near Deckers. Our local plants are typically called subspecies strictum, although it is unclear whether this name was intended to imply that it is strictly field chickweed, or that the stems are straight.
Plants in the genus Stellaria are commonly called chickweeds, whereas those in the genus Cerastium are commonly called field chickweeds. They are named for their use as a food source for chickens and other birds.
Because field chickweed is found world-wide, there are many different variations in shapes and sizes, resulting in many different variety and subspecies names that have been proposed … and disputed! Our subspecies (strictum) has 54 synonyms, i.e., names that have been proposed but are not currently accepted.
In western America, field chickweed was found first by Lewis & Clark in 1806 on the plains of the Columbia River. Frederick Pursh (1814) gave it the name of Cerastium elongatum in his Flora of North America. While this name has been roundly rejected by the botanic community (Earle & Reveal, 2003), some recent sources (POWO, 2025) suggest that Pursh’s name better describes the plant than the subspecies name we are currently using. So, we may have a name change in our future.
Field chickweed is in a family called the “Pink Family” or sometimes the “Carnation Family.” The scientific name is Caryophyllaceae (kar-ee-oh-fih-LAY-see-ee). It is a large cosmopolitan family of about 2,625 known species that are mostly herbaceous plants of temperate climates, with a few species growing on tropical mountains. Some of the more commonly known members include pinks and carnations (Dianthus), and firepink and campions (Silene). Many species are grown as ornamental plants, and some species are widespread weeds. Most species grow in the Mediterranean and bordering regions of Europe and Asia. The number of species in the Southern Hemisphere is rather small, although the family does contain Antarctic pearlwort (Colobanthus quitensis), which is one of only two flowering plants found in Antarctica.
References
Earle, A. Scott, and James L. Reveal. 2003. Lewis and Clark's Green World: The Expedition and its Plants. Helena, Montana: Farcountry Press, 2003.
POWO. 2025. Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/317382-2
Pursh, Frederick. 1814. Flora Americae Septentrionalis; or, A Systematic Arrangement and Description of the Plants of North America. 1. London: White, Cochrane, and Co., 1814. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/197761
