Plant
Sticky Mouse-ear Chickweed
Cerastium glomeratumAlso known as Clammy Chickweed, Sticky Chickweed
Sticky mouse-ear chickweed is an adaptable annual herb covered in glandular, viscid hairs that give the stems and foliage a distinct clammy texture when touched. It thrives in open, disturbed soils, completing its brief life cycle in early spring while ground moisture is high. Dense clusters of small, white five-petaled flowers open in direct sunshine and quickly mature into cylindrical seed capsules that disperse countless tiny seeds on the wind.
AnnualHerbaceousCosmopolitan
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyAutotrophic
Predators
- Garden snails
- Flea beetles
- Slugs
ThreatsHerbicides, aggressive lawn management, and dense competing vegetation
HabitatsLawns, pastures, roadsides, cultivated fields, and open disturbed ground
Life spanSeveral months (annual)
Classification
- OrderCaryophyllales
- FamilyCaryophyllaceae
- GenusCerastium
- SpeciesCerastium glomeratum
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Magnification: Examine flower heads with a hand lens to see sticky glandular hairs.
- Spring scouting: Look closely in low lawns and garden borders from February to May.
Close Relative (c) Wolfgang Jauch, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Close Relative (c) Alex Abair, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Alex Abair · cc-by
Image unavailableClose Relative 
Same Family (c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), uploaded by Douglas Goldman · cc-by-sa
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