Species: Cerastium alpinum L.

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Cerastium alpinum L.

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TAXONOMY

Family:

Caryophyllaceae

Genus:

Cerastium

Species Synonyms:

none

Common Names:

alpine chickweed

DISTRIBUTION

Canada:

northeastern Mackenzie District - northern Saskatchewan - Keewatin District, Nunavut - Baffin Island - Ellesmere Islanda

Saskatchewan:

northern Saskatchewan; Lake Athabasca - Hasbala Lake

Ecoregion:

Tazin Lake Upland, Selwyn Lake Upland

HABITAT

Saskatchewan:

dry, granitic outcrops in black spruce woods

RARITY STATUS

Provincial Status According
to Harms (2003):

Endangered

Nature Conservancy Status:

G5 S1

Saskatchewan Species at
Risk Status:

None

COSEWIC Status:

None

Alpine chickweed is endangered in Saskatchewan because it is extremely rare. This species is somewhat regionally restricted in the province and most local populations are small. No immediate threats have been identified.

SPECIES DESCRIPTION

Height:

10 – 15 cm

Roots:

rhizome present; roots fibrous

Stems:

densely tufted, creeping or ascending, at least in flower, sticky, glandular hairs and white, woolly hairs

Leaves:

opposite, stalkless, 10 – 18 mm long, 5 – 7 mm wide, spoon-shaped or oval to lance-shaped, woolly; tips of leaves of basal offshoots with shiny, woolly hairs

Inflorescence:

branched, 2 – 4 flowered, open; bracts lance-shaped, papery, glandular-hairy; flower stalks straight

Flowers:

sepals 7 – 10 mm long, base square, green, often violet-tipped, hairy, margin papery; petals 1 – 2 times as long as sepals, 7 – 20 mm long, shallowly two-lobed; stamens 10; styles 5

Fruits:

capsule cylindrical, opening by 10 teeth; seeds dark brown, bumpy

*KEY TO CERASTIUM* IN SASKATCHEWAN**
C. alpinum and C. beeringianum* ssp. earlei may intergrade in Saskatchewan

1 Stems lax, weak; fruiting stalks hooked; lacking leafy offshoots	C. nutans var. nutans
1 Stems firm; fruiting stalks straight or curved; with leafy offshoots	2

2 Petals shorter than or equal to sepals	C. fontanum ssp. vulgare
2 Petals distinctly longer than sepals (up to 2 – 3 times as long)	3

3 Petals twice as long as sepals; leaves linear to narrowly oval; upper leaves with axillary clusters of leaves	C. arvense ssp. strictum
3 Petals less than twice as long as sepals; leaves inversely lance-shaped to lance-shaped or spoon-shaped; upper leaves without axillary clusters of leaves	4

4 Tips of leaves of sterile basal offshoots with shiny, weak, woolly hairs; sepals square at base; petals 7 – 20 mm long; hairs of long, curvy hairs	C. alpinum
4 Tips of leaves without weak, shiny woolly hairs; sepals rounded at base; petals 6 – 8 mm; hairs of long straight, stiff hairs	C. beeringianum ssp. earlei