Chickweeds, Campions & Allies
What are they?
The family that contains the chickweeds, mouse-ears, campions and pinks - the Caryophyllaceae - is a large family in northern temperate zones. Most species have white or pink/red flowers and some are very showy and popular as garden plants, while others are rather small and insignificant with a few being a little tricky to identify. Many species are found in the high Arctic and at altitude in mountain ranges, where their bright white flowers stud the short turf in summer.
Where are they found?
In New Jersey, the smaller, white-flowered chickweeds, mouse-ears and the like are mostly adventives of disturbed ground and often are weeds of garden flower borders and lawns. The larger species occur in a variety of habitats, most notably open, sunny fields and roadsides.
Identification
The larger species are mostly straight forward and readily told by leaf and flower characters. The smaller mouse-ears and chickweeds need more careful study of the flowers, particularly of the sepals and petals and of the often leaf-like bracts which can be found on the stem at the base of the flowering head. A note of the presence or absence of hairs and whether these are glandular or not can also be useful (glandular hairs often have a stickiness to them).
Winged Spurrey Spergula pentandra
Introduced from Europe. Established in waste places on sandy soil, mostly near the coast. Flowers March to April. The spurreys can all look rather similar and this species is best identified by seeds which have a broad, white, winged margin.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Morison's Spurrey Spergula morisonii
Introduced from Europe. Established in the extreme north of the county in sandy soil. Flowers March to April. The spurreys can all look rather similar and this species is best identified by seeds which have a relatively narrow winged margin with brownish veins (see also Winged Spurrey).
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
brown veins |
Saltmarsh Sea-spurrey Spergularia salina
(Saltmarsh Sand Spurrey) As the English name suggests, this is a plant of coastal, salty habitats, though it vis more often found on muddy edges of tracks and roads and in salty dune hollows than in pure saltmarsh. Flowers June to September.
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| |
paler at center |
back of sepals |
on thin stems |
Thyme-leaved Sandwort Arenaria serpyllifolia
Naturalized from Europe. Not uncommon in open, often more or less barren, sandy ground in gardens and waste places. Flowers May to July. Leaves not unlike those of the culinary thymes, hence the English name. Leaves have stiff, white hairs.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Sticky Mouse-ear Cerastium glomeratum
(Sticky Chickweed) An annual weed of gardens, fields and disturbed ground, introduced from Europe. Flowers March to June. Best told from other mouse-ears by its relatively large, rounded leaves and chunky flower heads with long, white, non-glandular hairs - most mouse-ears have sticky, glandular hairs, but this species actually differs in having obvious non-sticky hairs too. The bracts on the stem, just beneath the flower head are broad and leaf-like, all green and without a papery margin.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| in a tight head |
|
all green |
covered in silky hairs |
Little Mouse-ear Cerastium semidecandrum
(Five-stamened Chickweed) Introduced from Europe. Flowers April to June. The non-native mouse-ears can be hard to identify in North America, possibly because they may hybridize with each other. This species is best told from Dwarf Mouse-ear by the broader papery margins of the sepals and bracts and by the unbranched veins in the petals (hand lens needed); in Little Mouse-ear, the petals are small and usually obviously shorter than the sepals. In Little Mouse-ear, the papery margins of the bracts account for about one third of the total bract length.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
and short petals |
broad whitish, papery margin |
|
Dwarf Mouse-ear Cerastium pumilum
(European Chickweed) Introduced from Europe. Flowers April to June. The non-native mouse-ears can be hard to identify in North America, possibly because they may be hybridizing with each other. This species is best told from Little Mouse-ear by the narrower papery margins of the sepals and bracts and by the branching veins in the petals; the petals also tend to be a little longer. In Dwarf Mouse-ear, the papery margins of the bracts account for about one quarter of the total bract length.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
5 stamens |
narrow whitish, papery margin |
narrow whitish, papery margin |
Common Mouse-ear Cerastium fontanum
(Common Mouse-ear Chickweed) A fairly common species of grassy roadsides, lawns and margins of disturbed fields. Flowers April to June and often again in the autumn. Differs from the other mouse-ears in being perennial rather than annual, so usually hase a low mat of non-flowering, leafy stems. Leaves tend to be deeper, richer green than the yellowish-green of the annual species. Petals usually rather narrow with deep notches in the tips.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
with deeper notches |
with bristly hairs |
|
Jagged Chickweed Holosteum umbellatum
Introduced from Europe. Found on roadsides and in gardens in built-up areas, especially around Cape May Point and on the barrier islands. Flowers April to May. The flowering head is rather unusual in that each flower is upright until pollinated, reflexes down, then becomes upright again as it sets seed.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| but with jagged tips |
at top of flower stem |
reflexed, pollinated flowers |
bluish-green |
Common Chickweed Stellaria media
Introduced from Europe. A common to abundant annual or short-lived perennial in gardens, lawns, roadsides and cultivated fields. Flowers more or less throughout the year, with a main flush in March to May. This is often the first plant that one sees in flower in Cape May in the spring, along with blue patches of Common Field Speedwell (Veronica persica) on lawns. Note that in woodland and other shady situations, the plant often has long, straggling stems with larger, more pointed leaves and petals are often much reduced.
 |
|
 |
| |
|
|
 |
 |
| |
|
Lesser Stitchwort Stellaria graminea
Introduced from Europe. A scarce plant of rough grassland. Flowers May to June. Taller and more scrambling than other members of the family, with relatively long, narrow leaves.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Procumbent Pearlwort Sagina procumbens
Probably introduced from Europe. Not uncommon in built up areas where it grows in flat mats in cracks in pavement. Flowers May to June or sometimes later. A low-growing plant with insignificant, petalless flowers, that could be mistaken for a moss.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Decumbent Pearlwort Sagina decumbens
(Trailing Pearlwort) Common and widespread throughout Cape May County in sandy soil on tracks, roadsides and field edges. A small, low-growing plant that could be mistaken for a moss. May form tight clumps, or have more open, creeping stems. Flowers April to July.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
un-notched |
covered in white dots |
Annual Knawel Scleranthus annuus
(German Knotgrass) Somewhat localized but can be common where it occurs, as an annual weed of disturbed soil in farm fields and gardens. Flowers April to October. Leaves can be found from March onwards and may be mistaken for a moss as they often form compact mounds and the flowers are not obvious.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
with white edges |
|
|
Green Carpetweed Mollugo verticillata
Common in open and disturbed ground and often grows as a garden weed. Also found on sandy dunes and beaches. Flowers June to October. Not a member of the chickweed family but the flowers could easily be mistaken as a member of that family.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| in open ground |
in flower border |
|
lower leaves spoon-shaped |
Cowherb Vaccaria hispanica
Introduced from Europe. Sometimes a constituent of so-called 'wildflower mixes' and occasionally persists for a short time as an annual weed of disturbed soil. Flowers June to October. The ribbed sepal tube and seed capsule is distinctive.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Annual Baby's-breath Gypsophila elegans
Introduced from Europe. Often a constituent of so-called 'wildflower mixes' and occasionally persists for a short time as an annual weed of disturbed soil. Flowers June to October. A rather weak and delicate plant which supports itself on surrounding vegetation.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Common Soapwort Saponaria officinalis
(Bouncing Bet) A not uncommon species, introduced from Europe where it has been used in the past for making soap. Forms often quite extensive patches in grassy field margins and roadsides. Flowers July to September. Sometimes occurs in a double-flowered form.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Deptford Pink Dianthus armeria
Introduced from Europe and quite common in grassy fields, roadsides and woodland margins. Flowers June to August.
 |
|
 |
 |
| |
|
in pairs |
|
Sweet William Dianthus barbatus
Introduced from Europe and occasionally planted as part of so-called 'wildflower' mixes. Flowers June to August. Flower color highly variable but usually some combination of pink or red, with white.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Proliferous Pink Petrorhagia prolifera
Introduced from Europe and not uncommon in sandy, coastal habitats such as dune margins, old fields and abandoned ground. In North America, this species has been widely - and wrongly - called Childing Pink in the past. That name belongs to Petrorhagia nanteuilii, another European species. Flowers late May to September. Flowers come in compound heads, wrapped in brownish bracts, each flower opening one at a time.
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
Rose Campion Silene coronaria
Introduced from Europe. Grown as a garden plant and occasionally escaping into nearby roadsides and waste ground. Flowers May to June. The whole plant except the flower petals is white woolly.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Sleepy Catchfly Silene antirrhina
Rare in Cape May County and more common in northern New Jersey. May be found on sandy soil in the northern half of the county. Flowers May to June. Flowers rarely produce petals and are most often seen as green 'pods' with reddish tips. This species shows nicely the reddish, sticky sections of stem which prevent ants climbing up and stealing nectar or pollen without pollenating the flowers. Some suggest that these sticky areas are an early evolutionary step towards becoming carnivorous, but it seems unlikely to be the case.
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
Sweet-William Catchfly Silene armeria
Introduced from Europe. Rare in Cape May County and more common in northern New Jersey, the plants seen here were photographed at Cox Hall Creek WMA, where they may have been introduced. Flowers June to September.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
terminal heads |
|
|
Carolina Catchfly Silene caroliniana
A low-growing plant of sandy edges, once more common but now appears to be rare in the middle part of the county. Flowers April to May.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Bladder Campion Silene vulgaris
(Maidenstears) Introduced from Europe. Currently known from roadsides and grassy places in the north of Cape May County. Flowers May to July. Much misidentified and confused in American literature with White Campion. Whole plant hairless and petals rather small.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
White Campion Silene latifolia
(Bladder Campion in some books) Introduced from Europe. There appears to be no published records of this species in Cape May County, though records are confused by much wrong useage of both English and scientific names in the past, and confusion with Bladder Campion. Flowers May to August. Whole plant hairy and flowers relatively large.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| |
|
|
|
Corncockle Agrostemma githago
Introduced from Europe. Probably formerly established in cereal fields in the past but now long gone due to improvements in weed control techniques and a decline in agriculture in the region. Still occasionally found where introduced along field borders as a part of a 'wildflower' mix, but usually not persisting. Flowers June to July. Similar to some campions, but note the long sepals, longer than the petals.
 |
 |
 |
| |
long sepal lobes |
|