Common Starwort

Foodplant / parasite
hypophyllous telium of Melampsorella caryophyllacearum parasitises live leaf of Stellaria graminea
Other: minor host/prey

In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Foodplant / pathogen
embedded sorus of Microbotryum stellariae infects and damages live anther of Stellaria graminea

Foodplant / spot causer
numerous, fuscous pycnidium of Septoria coelomycetous anamorph of Mycosphaerella isariophora causes spots on live/fading stem of Stellaria graminea
Remarks: season: 5-10

Foodplant / spot causer
synnema of dematiaceous Phacellium anamorph of Phacellium episphaerium causes spots on live leaf of Stellaria graminea

Foodplant / parasite
hypophyllous telium of Puccinia arenariae parasitises live leaf of Stellaria graminea

Plant / resting place / on
female macropter of Tmetothrips subapterus may be found on live Stellaria graminea
Remarks: season: 7

In Europe, both diploid and tetraploid cytotypes of Stellaria graminea occur with occasional triploid hybrids. Only the tetraploid form has been found in North America, except for a triploid colony in Newfoundland. This species is often confused with S. longifolia but differs in its stems, which are very angular, glabrous, and not scabrid; the narrowly triangular leaves on the flowering stems; the smooth leaf margins; the stiff, triangular, prominently 3-veined sepals; and the larger, rugulose seeds.

The sterile overwintering shoots of Stellaria graminea have broader elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate leaf blades measuring 5-15 × 1.5-4 mm. They are broadest near the middle. This state of the plant has been named var. latifolia Petermann. Usually S. graminea has perfect flowers but occasionally plants that are entirely staminate-sterile are encountered. The flowers in these are partially fertile depending on the occurrence of cross- pollination.

Plants perennial, coarse, rhi-zomatous; rhizomes slender, elongate. Stems decumbent or ascending, straggling, diffusely branched, smoothly 4-angled, 20-90 cm, brittle, glabrous. Leaves sessile; blade linear-lanceolate to narrowly lanceolate, widest near base, 1.5-4 cm × 1-6 mm, base round, margins smooth, apex acute, often ciliate near base, otherwise glabrous, not glaucous. Inflorescences terminal, 5-many-flowered, open, conspicuously branched cymes; bracts narrowly lanceolate, 1-5 mm, wholly scarious, margins ciliate, apex acuminate. Pedicels divaricate, 10-30 mm, glabrous. Flowers 5-12 mm diam., rarely larger; sepals 5, distinctly 3-veined, narrowly lanceolate to triangular, 3-7 mm, margins narrow, straight, scarious, apex acute, glabrous; petals 5, 3-7 mm, equaling or longer than sepals; stamens 10, all, some, or none fully developed and fertile; styles 3, ascending, ca. 3 mm. Capsules green or straw colored, narrowly ovoid, 5-7 mm, longer than sepals, apex acute, opening by 3 valves, splitting into 6; carpophore absent. Seeds reddish brown, reniform-rotund, ca. 1 mm diam., rugose in concentric rings. 2n = 39, 52.

Herbs perennial, often glabrous. Stems densely tufted, slightly erect, quadrangular, 10--30 cm tall, slender, glabrous or with 2 lines of hairs; sterile branches axillary from proximal leaves present. Leaves sessile, pinkish green, linear to lanceolate, 0.5--4(--5) cm × 1.5--3(--4) mm, basal margin sparsely ciliate, midvein inconspicuous, base slightly narrowed, apex acute. Flowers many or sometimes few, in terminal or axillary cymes, 7--11 mm in diam.; bracts lanceolate, 2(--5) mm, midvein conspicuous, margin membranous. Pedicel 0.5--2.5 cm, to 3.8 cm in fruit, slender. Sepals 5, green, lanceolate or narrowly lanceolate, 4--4.5 mm or longer, shiny, 3-veined, margin membranous, apex acuminate. Petals 5, slightly shorter or longer than sepals, 2-cleft nearly to base. Stamens 10; filaments filiform, glabrous, 4--4.5 mm; anthers brown, broadly ellipsoid, ca. 0.3 mm. Ovary ovoid-oblong; styles 3(or 4), ca. 2 mm. Capsule ovoid-cylindric, much longer than persistent sepals. Seeds black-brown, nearly compressed orbicular, granulose. Fl. May--Jul, fr. Aug--Sep. 2n = 26, 39, 52.

Europe, C. Asia, Himalaya, Siberia, Mongolia, Tibet.

introduced; St. Pierre and Miquelon; B.C., N.B., Nfld. and Labr., N.S., Ont., P.E.I., Que.; Calif., Colo., Conn., D.C., Idaho, Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kans., Ky., Maine, Mass., Mich., Minn., Mo., Mont., Nev., N.H., N.J., N.Y., N.C., Ohio, Oreg., Pa., R.I., S.C., Tenn., Vt., Va., Wash., W.Va., Wis.; Europe.

Gansu, Hubei, Qinghai, Shandong, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Sichuan, Xinjiang, Xizang [Afghanistan, India, Kashmir, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, ?Sikkim; Europe].

3000-3200 m

Flowering late spring-early summer.

Rough grasslands, pastures, hayfields, roadsides; 0-1200m.

Forests, forest margins, grasslands, grassy slopes, rock crevices; 1400--4000(--4200) m.

Alsine graminea (Linnaeus) Britton

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.