Stellaria alsine
bog stitchwort
Europe, temperate Asia, North America
Overview
Stellaria alsine is a slender, straggling perennial of wet ground, forming low, loose patches 4-16 inches (10-40 cm) across with weak, four-angled stems that often sprawl and root at the nodes. The smooth, narrow, lance-shaped leaves are 0.2-0.8 inch (5-20 mm) long, grey-green, and set in opposite pairs without stalks. From late spring into summer it bears tiny white flowers about 0.2 inch (4-6 mm) across, each with five petals so deeply cleft they appear as ten, shorter than the surrounding green sepals. The plant grows in springs, flushes, ditches, marshy meadows, and the muddy margins of streams and ponds, usually on acidic ground. It needs reliably wet soil and fades on drier sites, spreading instead where water moves slowly over gravel or peat. The flowers are small and easily missed, and the plant reads as a thin green tangle rather than a display. Stems are brittle and break easily, the fragments rooting in wet mud to start new patches. It self-sows freely in suitable damp habitats and can appear uninvited in wet borders and bog gardens.
Native Range
Stellaria alsine is native across Europe, much of temperate Asia, and North America, in cool, wet habitats. It grows in springs, flushes, ditches, wet meadows, and the muddy edges of streams, mainly on acidic soils.Suggested Uses
Grown at pond and stream edges, in bog gardens, and in wet wildlife plantings where it forms a low green mat, set 8-12 inches (20-30 cm) apart. Suits naturalistic damp ground and the margins of container ponds. It also fills bare wet soil between larger marginal plants.How to Identify
Appearance
Size & Dimensions
Height4" - 1'
Width/Spread8" - 1'4"
Reaches mature size in approximately 2 years
Bloom Information
Flowering runs from late spring into summer, about May to July, with scattered small white flowers among the foliage. Bloom is sparse and spread over several weeks rather than massed. Seed capsules follow, splitting to release tiny seed into the wet ground.
Detailed Descriptions
Foliage Description
Grey-greenGrowing Conditions
Sun Requirements
Requires 3-8 hours of direct sunlight daily
• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight
• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight
• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight
Care & Maintenance
Care Guide
Grow in reliably wet to saturated soil in full sun to part shade, at pond and stream margins, in bog gardens, or in damp, low-lying ground. The plant needs constant moisture and thins out on soils that dry in summer, so it suits seeps and wet hollows rather than ordinary beds. Acidic, peaty, or gravelly substrates that stay wet suit it. It needs no feeding and spreads on its own by rooting stems and self-sown seed. Divide or move rooted pieces in spring into wet ground to start new patches. Hardy in USDA zones 4 through 8, the low growth dies back in winter and returns from the base in spring.Pruning
Shear or pull back the straggling growth in summer to keep the patch within bounds, as stems root and spread freely. Remove decaying material from the water surface in container or pond plantings. No structural pruning is needed.Pruning Schedule
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
summer
Container Growing
✓ Suitable for container growing
Minimum container size: 2 gallons