Cerastium velutinum
[ C. arvense ssp. velutinum ]

Field Chickweed

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Family: Caryophyllaceae (Pink family)

Mid-Atlantic bloom time: April - August

Field Chickweed is a member of the Mouse-ear Chickweed genus Cerastium. Its bi-lobed petals are 10–18 mm long, about 2x as long as its sepals. It seems to prefer the crevices and shelves of flood-scoured riverside outcrops.

Field Chickweed has two subspecies, both of which are rare:

• var. velutinum (sometimes called Field Mouse-ear or Starry Grasswort) which seems to prefer the crevices and shelves of flood-scoured riverside outcrops, and
• var. villosissimum (sometimes called Octoraro Creek Chickweed) which prefers serpentine barrens.

Field Chickweed is sometimes also classified as a subspecies of Cerastium arvense ssp. velutinum, but the complete infraspecific taxonomy of C. arvense has not been fully settled.

6 April 2026 Great Falls National Park, Great Falls, VA

11 April 2023 Great Falls National Park, Great Falls, VA

11 April 2023 Great Falls National Park, Great Falls, VA

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