Cerastium viride

A. Heller

Muhlenbergia 2: 281. 1907.

Common names: Western field mouse-ear chickweed
Endemic
Synonyms: Cerastium arvense subsp. maximum (Hollick & Britton) Ugborogho Cerastium arvense var. maximum Hollick & Britton
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 5. Treatment on page 92. Mentioned on page 74, 76, 80.

Plants perennial, mat-forming, strongly long-creeping rhizomatous. Stems: flowering-stems ascending from elongate decumbent bases, branched, 15–45 cm, viscid, glandular in distal and midstem region, proximal portion with deflexed, long, soft, eglandular hairs, mostly in alternating longitudinal lines; nonflowering shoots horizontal, leafy. Leaves sometimes marcescent, sessile, highly variable; blade tending to succulent, pubescent on both surfaces or ± glabrous abaxially except on midrib and margins; leaves of mid and distal stem largest, blade ovate-lanceolata to linear-lanceolate or narrowly oblong, 15–42 × 3.5–7 mm, apex acute; proximal leaves smaller, with tufts of small leaves in their axils, blade oblanceolate to linear-oblong, 10–30 × 2–7 mm, often spatulate, apex ± obtuse. Inflorescences lax, 1–12-flowered cymes; bracts glandular-pubescent, proximal bract often foliaceous, broadly lanceolate to ovatelanceolate; distal bracts lance-elliptic to lanceolate, margins narrow, scarious. Pedicels straight or sometimes curving near apex in fruit, tending to stout, 10–35 mm, ca. 2–4 times as long as capsules, rarely more, pubescence dense, glandular, viscid. Flowers large and showy; sepals lanceolate, 6–9 mm, margins broad, apex acute, densely glandular-pubescent, viscid; petals broadly oblanceolate, large, 10–15 mm, 2–3 times as long as sepals, apex 2-fid; stamens 10; anthers 0.9–1.2 mm; styles 5. Capsules broadly cylindric, ca. straight, 8–15 × 4–5 mm, 1.5–2 times as long as sepals; teeth 10, erect, margins convolute. Seeds reddish-brown, 1–1.5 mm, tuberculate; testa not inflated, tightly enclosing seed. 2n = 72.


Phenology: Flowering spring–early summer.
Habitat: Grassy slopes on coast, grassy and rocky slopes inland
Elevation: 0-1000 m

Discussion

Some forms of Cerastium viride can be difficult to distinguish from larger forms of C. arvense subsp. strictum, but the broader capsule and leaves usually are diagnostic. In rare cases, chromosome number or pollen size [38–70 (average 43) µ in C. viride versus 28–40 (average 34) µ in C. arvense subsp. strictum] may be needed to confirm identification. Some of the inland material from Catsop County, Oregon, is atypical in having more slender pedicels, longer and softer pubescence, and more acute sepals.

Cerastium viride often has been treated as a variety or subspecies of C. arvense. It differs from the native C. arvense subsp. strictum in being much larger in all its parts, and in chromosome number (2n = 72 in C. viride, 36 in C. arvense subsp. strictum). The two taxa do not hybridize in the wild and attempts to cross them in cultivation have failed. The introduced C. arvense subsp. arvense may be confused with C. viride. Both are strongly rhizomatous and the ranges of measurements for key characters overlap. However, the two taxa have different appearances, C. arvense subsp. arvense being a more slender plant with narrow leaves that are never succulent. In contrast, C. viride tends to be larger in all its parts, with sturdier, decumbent stems, and usually succulent leaves.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"-2timesaslongassepals" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.

... more about "Cerastium viride"
perigynous +  and hypogynous +
0.09 cm0.9 mm <br />9.0e-4 m <br /> (0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br />) +
15mm +  and 42mm +
glandular-pubescent +
2-fid;acute;obtuse;acute;oblong;linear-lanceolate +
3.5mm;7mm +
John K. Morton +
A. Heller +
elongate +
elliptic to broadly ovate +  and linear +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
spatulate +, oblanceolate +  and linear-oblong +
not succulent +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
often +  and herbaceous +
glandular-pubescent +
reduced +
herbaceous +  and scarious +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (?) +  and 1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (?) +
8 +  and 6 +
cylindric +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (?) +
Western field mouse-ear chickweed +
1-12-flowered +
dish--shaped +
expanded +
lance-elliptic +  and lanceolate +
Calif. +  and Oreg. +
0-1000 m +
straight +  and curved +
central +  and peripheral +
pistillate +  and subsessile +
unisexual +  and bisexual +
15 cm150 mm <br />0.15 m <br /> (45 cm450 mm <br />0.45 m <br />) +
stalked +  and simple +
Grassy slopes on coast, grassy and rocky slopes inland +
disc--shaped +  and dish +
marcescent +
connate +
alternating +
translucent +  and purplish +
pubescent;glabrous +
scarious +  and succulent +
pubescent +  and glabrous +
succulent +
swollen +
3 +  and 5 +
crassinucellate +  and bitegmic +
campylotropous +
curving +  and straight +
reflexed;erect +
perigynous +  and hypogynous +
fugacious +
2-3 times as long as sepals +
oblanceolate +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
Flowering spring–early summer. +
broadly lanceolate +  and ovatelanceolate +
Muhlenbergia +
reddish-brown +
tuberculate +
compressed +  and angular-obovate +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br />) +
persistent +
distinct +
lanceolate +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br />) +
branched +  and simple +
ascending;erect or decumbent +
subterminal +
[30 +  and 5 +
roughened +  and papillate +
distinct +
clavate +  and filiform +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
Cerastium arvense subsp. maximum +  and Cerastium arvense var. maximum +
rooting +  and rhizomatous +
Cerastium viride +
Cerastium +
species +
not inflated +
divided +
10 +  and 8 +
plant +  and mat-forming +
pubescence of simple hairs or stalked glands +  and glabrous +
19 +, 18 +, 17 +, 15] +, 13 +  and [9 +