STELLARIA APETALA

Family:- CARYOPHYLLACEAE/S. MEDIA Group

Common Names:- None

Synonyms:- Stellaria media ssp. apetala, Stellaria media ssp. pallida,

Stellaria pallida

Meaning:- Stellaria (L) With spreading rays, star-like.

Apetala (Gr) Without petals

General description:- Annual. Whole plant pale or yellowish green.

Stems:-

1) Up to 30 cm, very slender, with 1 line of hairs down each internode, rarely

glabrous.

Leaves:-

1) Ovate, subacute, glabrous, usually all petiolate.

Flowers:-

1) Inflorescence, few- or many-flowered; pedicels short, filiform, patent or erect in

fruit.

2) Sepals, usually less than 3 mm, often grey-tomentose.

3) Petals, absent (or minute).

4) Stamens, 1-3, very rarely 5.

Fruit:-

1) Seeds usually less than 0·8 mm, pale yellowish-brown, rarely dark brown, with

rounded or conical tubercles.

Key features:-

1) Stamens (0-)3-5(-10).

2) Seeds usually less than 0·8 mm, light yellowish-brown.

3) Petals usually shorter than the sepals, or absent.

4) Sepals usually less than 3 mm.

Habitat:- Weed of fields, gardens and wastegound, sometimes gravelly shores or

streambeds. 0-900 m (occasionally to1900 m).

Distribution:- Throughout Greece, W, C & S Europ, Mediterranean area SW Asia

to Pakistan.. Widespread and fairly common on Crete.

Flowering time:- Mainly Mar-May.

Photos by:- Zacharias Angourakis