Pronounced (approximate): seh-RAS-tee-um fon-TAY-num
Small white flowers have five notched petals.
Mouse-ear Chickweed (Cerastium fontanum): flowers and plant details. Tap the photo to open the gallery.
Family Caryophyllaceae
Life cycle Mat-forming perennial
Blooms Spring–summer
Height 6–18 inches
Habitat Lawns, fields, roadsides, and disturbed open ground
Common names: Mouse-ear Chickweed · Common Mouse-ear Chickweed
Other scientific names used: Cerastium fontanum subsp. vulgare · Cerastium vulgatum
Bloom timing and height vary with location. See the regional range below.
Explore reported observations. Sightings are not a complete range map.
Lawns, fields, roadsides, and disturbed open ground. Flowering season: spring–summer.
Common Chickweed usually has hairless leaves and a single line of stem hairs. Regional guides use Cerastium fontanum for these plants, often at subspecies vulgare.
Small white flowers have five notched petals.
Opposite oval leaves and stems are hairy.
Petals are about as long as the sepals.
Lawns, fields, roadsides, and disturbed open ground.
4 field photographs. Select a photograph to enlarge it; use Load more photos to see the rest.
Introduced and widespread in the United States. This page follows the regional broad treatment of Cerastium fontanum; narrower modern taxonomies separate some introduced populations.
Documented U.S. state records
AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Range follows the broad regional species treatment. Flora of North America — subsp. vulgare.
Observation maps show submitted records, not every place the plant occurs. Follow local access rules when visiting a site.
Practice recognizing Mouse-ear Chickweed in the flower quiz, or compare it with other plants in the guide.
Field photographs: Where’s Wildlife.