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Key to families | Table of families and genera

This text currently parallels The Jepson Manual: Vascular Plants of California, Second Edition that is now available at the University of California Press.

Text appearing in blue on this page will not appear in the printed book; it will be displayed only on the Web. Specimen numbers are hyperlinked to records in the Consortium of California Herbaria data view where possible. Taxa are hyperlinked to entries in the Jepson Interchange via the "[Online Interchange]" link.

 

CERASTIUM MOUSE-EAR CHICKWEED
Annual, perennial herb, erect to mat-forming; taproot or rhizomes present.
Leaf: blade linear to ovate; vein 1; axillary leaf clusters generally 0.
Inflorescence: terminal or axillary; flowers few to many, open to dense; pedicels 1–36+ mm.
Flower: sepals (4)5, 3–12 mm, free, lanceolate to ovate, hairy to glandular-hairy, hairs generally not exceeding tip; petals 0 or (4)5, 2.5–15 mm, ± 2-lobed; stamens (4,5)10; styles (4)5, 0.5–3.3 mm.
Fruit: capsule, cylindric, often ± curved in upper 1/2; teeth (8)10, spreading to recurved.
Seed: several to many, pale to red-brown.
± 180 species: worldwide, especially n temperate. (Greek: horn, from fruit shape) [Morton 2005 FNANM 5:74–93]

Key to Cerastium

1. Annual (or appearing so); stems generally all flower, ascending to erect

2. Calyx 8.5–12 mm; fruit 14–22 mm; seeds 0.9–1.1 mm ..... C. dichotomum

2' Calyx 3–7 mm; fruit 3.5–11 mm; seeds ± 0.4–1 mm

3. Upper bracts scarious-margined; scarious margin of most outer sepals 0.2–0.6 mm wide ..... C. fontanum subsp. vulgare (2)

3' Upper bracts not scarious (rarely with minute scarious tip); scarious margin of most outer sepals < 0.1 mm wide

4. Fl parts 4(5); sepals with 0 hairs exceeding tip; bracts not scarious or rarely with minute scarious tip; pedicels in fruit generally > sepals ..... [C. diffusum]

4' Fl parts 5; sepals with some hairs exceeding tip by 0.2–0.8 mm; bracts not scarious; pedicels in fruit (except lowest) < sepals ..... C. glomeratum

1' Perennial; stems both non-flower (mat-forming) and flower (± erect)

5. Petals 1.5 mm < to 0.5 mm > sepals ..... C. fontanum subsp. vulgare (2)

5' Petals ± 1.2–6 mm > sepals

6. Lvs not clustered in flower stem axils; petals 1.2–2.8 mm > sepals; fruit 5.5–8.5 mm; seeds 0.7–0.8 mm; 2900–4300 m ..... C. beeringianum

6' Lvs clustered in flower stem axils, especially below; petals 3–6 mm > sepals; fruit (7.5) 9–16 mm; seeds ± 1–1.5 mm; < 2500 m

7. Sts 5–20(30) cm; petals 7.5–9 mm; sepals 4.2–6(7) mm ..... C. arvense subsp. strictum

7' Sts 15–45 cm; petals 10–15 mm; sepals 6–9 mm ..... C. viride

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Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) [year] Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/IJM.html [accessed on month, day, year]
Citation for an individual treatment: [Author of taxon treatment] [year]. [Taxon name] in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, [URL for treatment]. Accessed on [month, day, year].
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