Seasonal Wild Flowers

Latin name

Stellaria palustris

Family

Caryophyllaceae

Flowering season

May to August

English distribution

It is found throughout the country except for the far

Southwest.

See the BSBI distribution map for Marsh Stitchwort

Habitat

It grows in wet grassland and marshes.

Description

Marsh Stitchwort is a native, perennial, scrambling,

rhizomatous herb growing up to 60cm.

The flowers are smaller than in Greater Stitchwort and

bigger than in Lesser stitchwort.

The flower stems are on long, thin and fragile-looking.

The 5 white petals are deeply bifid and longer than the

sepals.

The sepals are lanceolate, 3 ribbed and with a broad

white margin.

Flowers are protandrous with the 10 stamens appearing

before the styles.

The filaments are white and the anthers yellow.

There are 3 white, linear styles.

Fruits are globular capsules.

There are lanceolate papery bracts which have a narrow

central green strip.

The leaves are opposite, up to 2cm and narrowly

lanceolate.

The main stems are smoothly 4-angled and are more

substantial than the flowering stems.