Cerastium arvense subsp. strictum
Field mouse-ear chickweed, Field Mouse-Ear Chickweed
Simon Eugster --– Simon / ?! 17:22, 25 October 2006 (UTC) (via Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA
Family: Caryophyllaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Cerastium arvense subsp. strictum (Field mouse-ear chickweed) is a native California herb in the Caryophyllaceae family, recognized by differentiated by large petals and native status.
Field mouse-ear chickweed is a California native perennial found in the Klamath Ranges, central Sierra Nevada Foothills, northern Sierra Nevada, and San Francisco Bay Area in moist seeps, shaded areas, and rocky or sandy slopes at elevations of 600 to 1,850 meters. Flowering in spring, this plant produces white flowers with delicate petals 7.5 to 9 millimeters long, emerging from glandular-hairy calyxes. Growing 5 to 20 centimeters tall with both mat-forming and erect stems, it has a distinctive growth pattern of non-flowering and flowering stems. Its leaves are linear or lanceolate, 8 to 25 millimeters long, with notable axillary leaf clusters especially near the base of the plant. The plant produces distinctive fruits 7.5 to 11 millimeters long, with small seeds about 1 to 1.2 millimeters in size.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 3 sympatric species; differentiated by large petals and native status
Habitat and range
Habitat: Moist seeps, shaded areas, grassy, generally rocky or sandy slopes
Elevation: 600-1850 m
California counties: Tuolumne, Mendocino, Siskiyou, Marin, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Mariposa, Sonoma, Monterey, Trinity, Humboldt, Solano
Outside California: North America (except southeastern), South America, Europe
Bloom period
Cerastium arvense subsp. strictum blooms Spring.
How to tell it apart
vs Stellaria: Cerastium capsules are cylindrical and curved; Stellaria capsules are round and straight.; vs Limnanthes: Cerastium has tiny white flowers with cylindrical capsules; Limnanthes has showy bowl-shaped flowers with separate nutlets.; vs Pseudostellaria: Cerastium has fuzzy leaves and curved capsules; Pseudostellaria has smooth leaves and straight capsules.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cerastium arvense subsp. strictum native to California?
Yes. Cerastium arvense subsp. strictum is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Cerastium arvense subsp. strictum bloom?
Cerastium arvense subsp. strictum blooms Spring.
Where in California does Cerastium arvense subsp. strictum grow?
Cerastium arvense subsp. strictum occurs in Tuolumne, Mendocino, Siskiyou, Marin, San Francisco, Santa Clara, Mariposa, Sonoma and other counties, at elevations of 600-1850 m.
What plant family does Cerastium arvense subsp. strictum belong to?
Cerastium arvense subsp. strictum is in the Caryophyllaceae family, genus Cerastium.
What habitat does Cerastium arvense subsp. strictum grow in?
Cerastium arvense subsp. strictum grows in Moist seeps, shaded areas, grassy, generally rocky or sandy slopes.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.