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Wood Stitchwort

Wood Stitchwort

Stellaria nemorum

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How common: Common

Wood Stitchwort is a delicate, creeping perennial with starry white flowers. It thrives in moist, nutrient‑rich woods and along shady streams, often forming soft green patches on the forest floor.

Did you know?

  • Each white petal is split in two, so the flower looks like it has ten narrow petals.
  • Spreads by creeping shoots and can carpet damp woodland edges and stream banks.

About the species

Identification

Perennial that spreads by runners, forming patches. Stems slender, upright or leaning, 20–50 cm, softly hairy; non-flowering shoots trail on the ground. Leaves pale green, broad with a heart-shaped base; lower leaves have long stalks, upper ones sit directly on the stem. Flowers white, with five petals deeply split so they look like ten; petals are about twice as long as the green pointed parts beneath. The dry seed case is short and opens into six teeth. Can be confused with water chickweed, whose petals are not longer than the green points. Flowers in Finland in June–July.

Plant group

Herbaceous plants

Habitat

herb-rich forest

Flowering

Jun–Jul

About the habitat

Moist, rich woodland, wet hollows, stream sides and spring areas; usually in shade or dappled light. Across Finland; common in the south, becoming scattered and rare toward the north.

Sources

Photo: Hedwig Storch, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1024 Hain-Sternmiere (Stellaria nemorum) am Naturlehrweg Seebachtal-2453.jpg

Text: Pinkka: BIO-503 Suomen kasvisto ja kasvillisuus - Itämeri: rannikon lehdot, CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.38047

Text: Pinkka (Luomus), CC BY 4.0 https://laji.fi/taxon/MX.38047

Text: Wikipedia (Finnish), CC BY-SA 4.0 https://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lehtot%C3%A4htim%C3%B6

See also