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Stellaria aquatica

water chickweed

Caryophyllaceae Europe and temperate Asia

Attracts Pollinators

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

WaterHigh

HardinessZones 5–9

Overview

Stellaria aquatica is a straggling perennial of the pink family, with weak, brittle stems 8-40 inches (20-100 cm) long that sprawl through other vegetation or trail over wet ground. The stems are swollen at the leaf joints and slightly hairy and sticky in the upper part. Opposite leaves are oval and pointed, 1-3 inches (2.5-8 cm) long, with rounded to heart-shaped bases; the upper ones are stalkless. White flowers about 0.5-0.6 inch (12-15 mm) across have five petals so deeply split that they appear as ten, set against five green sepals, and carry five styles. Flowering runs from June to October. The fruit is a small capsule that opens by five teeth, each splitting in two. The plant roots at the lower nodes where stems touch damp soil, forming loose patches. It dies back in winter and regrows from the base in spring.

Native Range

Native to Europe and much of temperate Asia, and naturalised in North America and elsewhere. Grows in damp and shaded places including riverbanks, ditch sides, wet meadows, fen edges, and the margins of ponds and streams, mainly in lowland areas.

Suggested Uses

Occurs at pond and stream margins, in damp wildlife areas, and in naturalistic wet plantings rather than formal borders. It knits over bare wet ground and stabilises soft margins. Its sprawling habit and free spread make it unsuited to small or tidy plantings.

How to Identify

Recognised by the straggling, brittle stems swollen at the nodes, the opposite oval pointed leaves with heart-shaped bases, and the white flowers about 0.5-0.6 inch (12-15 mm) across with deeply split petals. The five styles separate it from true Stellaria spp. chickweeds, which have three styles. Its larger flowers and damp habitat distinguish it from common chickweed.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height8" - 3'4"

Width/Spread1' - 3'

Colors

Flower Colors

white

Foliage Colors

green

Fall Foliage Colors

no change

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~18 weeks

Summer Fall

Flowers over a long period from June to October. Individual flowers are short-lived, opening in the daytime, but plants produce them in succession through the summer. The extended season reflects continued shoot growth in moist ground. Flowering tails off with autumn cold.

Detailed Descriptions

Foliage Description

green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

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

Soil Requirements

pH Range6.0 - 7.5(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

loam clay silt

Drainagewet

Water & Climate

Water Needs

High

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

1-2 years

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Grows in partial shade to full sun on consistently moist to wet, fertile soils near water. It spreads by rooting stems and self-sown seed and needs no attention to persist in suitable damp ground. Dry soils check growth and shorten the plant. In gardens it behaves as a damp-ground weed and can be pulled or cut where it sprawls into beds. Stems left in contact with wet soil root and extend the patch.

Pruning

Cut back sprawling stems through the season to hold the plant within bounds; it regrows from the base. Removing growth before seed sets and lifting rooted stem sections limits spread. No pruning is needed for the plant health.