Stellaria

{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants in the carnation family}} {{For|the gastropod genus|Stellaria (gastropod){{!}}''Stellaria'' (gastropod)}} {{more footnotes needed|date=March 2013}} {{Automatic taxobox | image = Greater Stitchwort close 800.jpg | image_caption = Greater stitchwort (''Stellaria holostea'') | taxon = Stellaria | authority = L. (1753), nom. cons. | synonyms = {{hidden begin|title = List}} * ''Alsine'' Tourn. ex L. * ''Alsinula'' Dostál * ''Ballarion'' Raf. * ''Baretia'' {{small|Timaná}} * ''Bigelowia'' Raf. * ''Fimbripetalum'' (Turcz.) Ikonn. * ''Hylebia'' Fourr. * ''Larbrea'' A.St.-Hil. * ''Leucostemma'' Benth. ex G.Don * ''Malachia'' Fr. * ''Micropetalon'' Pers. * ''Myosanthus'' Desv. * ''Myosoton'' Moench * ''Plettkea'' Mattf. * ''Pycnophyllopsis'' {{small|Skottsb.}} * ''Spergulastrum'' Michx. * ''Stellularia'' Hill * ''Tytthostemma'' Nevski {{hidden end}} |synonyms_ref = <ref name = powo>{{Cite web |title=''Stellaria'' L. {{!}} Plants of the World Online {{!}} Kew Science |url=http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:30001456-2 |access-date=26 July 2025|website=Plants of the World Online |language=en}}</ref> }}

'''''Stellaria''''' is a genus of about 190 species of flowering plants in the family Caryophyllaceae, with a cosmopolitan distribution. Common names include '''starwort''',<ref>{{PLANTS|id=STELL|taxon=Stellaria|accessdate=1 December 2015}}</ref> '''stitchwort''' and '''chickweed'''.

==Description== ''Stellaria'' species are relatively small herbs with simple opposite leaves. It produces small flowers with 5 sepals and 5 white petals each usually deeply cleft, or none at all, all free. Stamens 10 or fewer.<ref>Parnell, J. and Curtis, T. 2012. ''Webb's An Irish Flora''. Cork University Press. {{ISBN|978-185918-4783}}</ref><ref>Clapham, A.R., Tutin, T.G. and Warburg, E.F. 1968. ''Excursion Flora of the British Isles''. {{ISBN|0-521-04656-4}}</ref>

===Uses=== Some species, including ''Stellaria media'' which is widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, are used as leaf vegetables, often raw in salads. This is a favored food of finches and many other seed-eating birds.

Chickweeds are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including angle shades, heart and dart, riband wave, setaceous Hebrew character and the ''Coleophora'' case-bearers ''C. coenosipennella'' (feeds exclusively on ''Stellaria'' species), ''C. lineolea'' (recorded on ''S. graminea''), ''C. lithargyrinella'' (recorded on ''S. holostea''), ''C. solitariella'' (feeds exclusively on ''S. holostea'') and ''C. striatipennella''.

Several closely related plants referred to as chickweed, but which lack the culinary properties of plants in the genus ''Stellaria'', include members of the genus ''Cerastium'', of similar appearance to ''Stellaria'' and also in the (Caryophyllaceae).

==Species== thumb|right|Lesser stitchwort, ''Stellaria graminea'' The following species are recognised in the genus ''Stellaria'':<ref name = powo/> {{Div col|colwidth=24em}} * ''Stellaria abadensis'' {{small|H.F.Xu & Z.H.Ma}} * ''Stellaria × adulterina'' {{small|Focke}} * ''Stellaria alaschanica'' {{small|Y.Z.Zhao}} * ''Stellaria alaskana'' {{small|Hultén}} * ''Stellaria alpamarcae'' {{small|(A.Gray) Montesin. & Borsch}} * ''Stellaria × alpestris'' {{small|(Hartm.) Hartm.}} * ''Stellaria alsine'' {{small|Grimm}} – bog stitchwort * ''Stellaria alsinoides'' {{small|Boiss. & Buhse}} * ''Stellaria altimontana'' {{small|N.S.Pavlova}} * ''Stellaria × ambigua'' {{small|Bég.}} * ''Stellaria amblyosepala'' {{small|Schrenk}} * ''Stellaria amplexicaulis'' {{small|(Hand.-Mazz.) Huan C.Wang & Feng Yang}} * ''Stellaria anagalloides'' {{small|Rupr.}} * ''Stellaria andina'' {{small|(Rohrb.) Montesin. & Borsch}} * ''Stellaria angarae'' {{small|Popov}} * ''Stellaria angustifolia'' {{small|Hook.}} * ''Stellaria antillana'' {{small|Urb.}} * ''Stellaria apetala'' {{small|Ucria}} * ''Stellaria aphanantha'' {{small|Griseb.}} * ''Stellaria aphananthoidea'' {{small|Muschl.}} * ''Stellaria apurimacensis'' {{small|Montesin. & D.Cornejo}} * ''Stellaria aquatica'' {{small|(L.) Scop.}} – water chickweed * ''Stellaria arenarioides'' {{small|Shi L.Chen, Rabeler & Turland}} * ''Stellaria arvalis'' {{small|Fenzl ex F.Phil.}} * ''Stellaria assadii'' {{small|Mahdavi}} * ''Stellaria australis'' {{small|Zoll. & Moritzi}} * ''Stellaria bayanensis'' {{small|L.Q.Zhao & Y.Z.Zhao}} * ''Stellaria bengalensis'' {{small|Sindhu Arya & Harsh Singh}} * ''Stellaria borealis'' {{small|Bigelow}} * ''Stellaria brachypetala'' {{small|Bunge}} * ''Stellaria bungeana'' {{small|Fenzl}} * ''Stellaria calycantha'' {{small|(Ledeb.) Bong.}} * ''Stellaria celsa'' {{small|Ravenna}} * ''Stellaria chilensis'' {{small|Pedersen}} * ''Stellaria chinensis'' {{small|Regel}} * ''Stellaria circinata'' {{small|Ravenna}} * ''Stellaria concinna'' {{small|Ravenna}} * ''Stellaria congesta'' {{small|Montesin. & Borsch}} * ''Stellaria congestiflora'' {{small|H.Hara}} * ''Stellaria corei'' {{small|Shinners}} * ''Stellaria crassifolia'' {{small|Ehrh.}} * ''Stellaria crispa'' {{small|Cham. & Schltdl.}} * ''Stellaria cryptantha'' {{small|(Mattf.) M.T.Sharples & E.A.Tripp}} * ''Stellaria cryptopetala'' {{small|Griseb.}} * ''Stellaria cuonaensis'' {{small|L.H.Zhou}} * ''Stellaria cupaniana'' {{small|(Jord. & Fourr.) Bég.}} * ''Stellaria cuspidata'' {{small|Willd. ex D.F.K.Schltdl.}} * ''Stellaria darvasievii'' {{small|Kamelin}} * ''Stellaria davurica'' {{small|D.F.K.Schltdl.}} * ''Stellaria debilis'' {{small|d'Urv.}} * ''Stellaria decipiens'' {{small|Hook.f.}} * ''Stellaria decumbens'' {{small|Edgew.}} * ''Stellaria depauperata'' {{small| Edgew.}} * ''Stellaria depressa'' {{small|Em.Schmid}} * ''Stellaria dianthifolia'' {{small|F.N.Williams}} * ''Stellaria dicranoides'' {{small|(Cham. & Schltdl.) Fenzl}} * ''Stellaria discolor'' {{small|Turcz.}} * ''Stellaria edwardsii'' {{small|R.Br.}} * ''Stellaria emirnensis'' {{small|Danguy}} * ''Stellaria engleriana'' {{small|(Muschl.) Montesin. & Borsch}} * ''Stellaria erecta'' {{small|Charit.}} * ''Stellaria erlangeriana'' {{small|Engl.}} * ''Stellaria eschscholtziana'' {{small|Fenzl}} * ''Stellaria fennica'' {{small|(Murb.) Perfil.}} * ''Stellaria fenzlii'' {{small|Regel}} * ''Stellaria filicaulis'' {{small|Makino}} * ''Stellaria filiformis'' {{small|(Benth.) Mattf.}} * ''Stellaria fischeriana'' {{small|Ser.}} * ''Stellaria flaccida'' {{small|Hook.}} – forest starwort * ''Stellaria galianoi'' {{small|Montesin. & Borsch}} * ''Stellaria × glauciformis'' {{small|Bouvet}} * ''Stellaria gracilenta'' {{small|Hook.f.}} * ''Stellaria graminea'' {{small|L.}} – lesser stitchwort * ''Stellaria gyangtseensis'' {{small|F.N.Williams}} * ''Stellaria gyirongensis'' {{small|L.H.Zhou}} * ''Stellaria hebecalyx'' {{small|Fenzl}} * ''Stellaria henryi'' {{small|F.N.Williams}} * ''Stellaria hibinoi'' {{small|Seriz.}} * ''Stellaria hintoniorum'' {{small|B.L.Turner}} * ''Stellaria humifusa'' {{small|Rottb.}} – saltmarsh starwort * ''Stellaria × hybrida'' {{small|Rouy & Foucaud}} * ''Stellaria imbricata'' {{small|Bunge}} * ''Stellaria infracta'' {{small|Maxim.}} * ''Stellaria inundata'' {{small|Vorosch.}} * ''Stellaria irazuensis'' {{small|Donn.Sm.}} * ''Stellaria irrigua'' {{small|Bunge}} * ''Stellaria jacutica'' {{small|Schischk.}} * ''Stellaria keraiopetala'' {{small|(Mattf.) Montesin. & Borsch}} * ''Stellaria koelzii'' {{small|Rech.f.}} * ''Stellaria kolymensis'' {{small|A.P.Khokhr.}} * ''Stellaria krylovii'' {{small|N.V.Vlassova & Artemov}} * ''Stellaria laeta'' {{small|Richardson}} * ''Stellaria laevis'' {{small|(Bartl.) Rohrb.}} * ''Stellaria lanata'' {{small|Hook.f.}} * ''Stellaria × lancifolia'' {{small|Kom.}} * ''Stellaria lanipes'' {{small|C.Y.Wu & H.Chuang}} * ''Stellaria laxmannii'' {{small|Fisch. ex Ser.}} * ''Stellaria leptoclada'' {{small|(Benth.) C.H.Mill. & J.G.West}} * ''Stellaria littoralis'' {{small|Torr.}} * ''Stellaria longifolia'' {{small|Muhl. ex Willd.}} * ''Stellaria longipedicellata'' {{small|W.Qiao Wang & Z.H.Ma}} * ''Stellaria longipes'' {{small|Goldie}} – long-stalk starwort * ''Stellaria macbridei'' {{small|Montesin. & Borsch}} * ''Stellaria macrophylla'' {{small|(Muschl.) Montesin. & Borsch}} * ''Stellaria mainlingensis'' {{small|L.H.Zhou}} * ''Stellaria mannii'' {{small|Hook.f.}} * ''Stellaria mcclintockiae'' {{small|V.S.A.Kumar, Sindhu Arya, V.Suresh, Sojan & Alen Alex}} * ''Stellaria media'' {{small|(L.) Vill.}} – common chickweed * ''Stellaria merzbacheri'' {{small|Kozhevn.}} * ''Stellaria miahuatlana'' {{small|B.L.Turner}} * ''Stellaria minuta'' {{small|Kirk}} * ''Stellaria montioides'' {{small|(Edgew. & Hook.f.) Ghaz.}} * ''Stellaria multiflora'' {{small|Hook.}} * ''Stellaria multipartita'' {{small|Bo Xu & Meng Li}} * ''Stellaria neglecta'' {{small|(Lej.) Weihe}} – greater chickweed * ''Stellaria nemorum'' {{small|L.}} – wood stitchwort * ''Stellaria neotomentosa'' {{small|M.Mizush. ex H.Ohba}} * ''Stellaria nepalensis'' {{small|Majumdar & Vartak}} * ''Stellaria nipponica'' {{small|Ohwi}} * ''Stellaria nitens'' {{small|Nutt.}} * ''Stellaria nubigena'' {{small|Standl.}} * ''Stellaria omeiensis'' {{small|C.Y.Wu & Tsui ex P.Ke}} * ''Stellaria ovata'' {{small|Willd. ex D.F.K.Schltdl.}} * ''Stellaria ovatifolia'' {{small|Willd. ex D.F.K.Schltdl.}} * ''Stellaria oxycoccoides'' {{small|Kom.}} * ''Stellaria palustris'' {{small|Ehrh. ex Hoffm.}} – marsh stitchwort * ''Stellaria papillata'' {{small|C.H.Mill. & J.G.West}} * ''Stellaria parviflora'' {{small|Banks & Sol. ex Hook.f.}} * ''Stellaria parviumbellata'' {{small|Y.Z.Zhao}} * ''Stellaria patagonica'' {{small|Montesin. & Borsch}} * ''Stellaria patens'' {{small|D.Don}} * ''Stellaria pauciflora'' {{small|Zoll. & Moritzi}} * ''Stellaria pedersenii'' {{small|Volponi}} * ''Stellaria peduncularis'' {{small|Bunge}} * ''Stellaria pedunculosa'' {{small|(Wedd.) Montesin. & Borsch}} * ''Stellaria pentastyla'' {{small|W.Qiao Wang, H.F.Xu & Z.H.Ma}} * ''Stellaria persica'' {{small|Boiss.}} * ''Stellaria petiolaris'' {{small|Hand.-Mazz.}} * ''Stellaria pilosoides'' {{small|Shi L.Chen, Rabeler & Turland}} * ''Stellaria pinvalliaca'' {{small|Chandra Sek. & S.K.Srivast.}} * ''Stellaria polyantha'' {{small|(Edgew. & Hook.f.) M.T.Sharples & E.A.Tripp}} * ''Stellaria porsildii'' {{small|C.C.Chinnappa}} * ''Stellaria procumbens'' {{small|Huan C.Wang & Feng Yang}} * ''Stellaria pterosperma'' {{small|Ohwi}} * ''Stellaria pubera'' {{small|Michx.}} – star chickweed * ''Stellaria pulvinata'' {{small|Grubov}} * ''Stellaria pungens'' {{small|Brongn.}} – prickly starwort * ''Stellaria pusilla'' {{small|Em.Schmid}} * ''Stellaria radians'' {{small|L.}} * ''Stellaria rajbhandaryi'' {{small|Kafle & G.Parmar}} * ''Stellaria recurvata'' {{small|Willd. ex D.F.K.Schltdl.}} * ''Stellaria reticulivena'' {{small|Hayata}} * ''Stellaria rigida'' {{small|Bunge}} * ''Stellaria roughii'' {{small|Hook.f.}} * ''Stellaria ruderalis'' {{small|M.Lepší, P.Lepší, Z.Kaplan & P.Koutecký}} * ''Stellaria ruscifolia'' {{small|D.F.K.Schltdl.}} * ''Stellaria salicifolia'' {{small|Tsui & P.Ke}} * ''Stellaria sanjuanensis'' {{small|M.T.Sharples & E.A.Tripp}} * ''Stellaria sarcophylla'' {{small|Rech.f.}} * ''Stellaria schischkinii'' {{small| Peschkova}} * ''Stellaria semivestita'' {{small|Edgew.}} * ''Stellaria sennii'' {{small|Chiov.}} * ''Stellaria serpens'' {{small|Ravenna}} * ''Stellaria sessiliflora'' {{small|Y.Yabe}} * ''Stellaria sibirica'' {{small|(Regel & Tiling) Schischk.}} * ''Stellaria sikaramensis'' {{small|Rech.f.}} * ''Stellaria sikkimensis'' {{small|Hook.f.}} * ''Stellaria sitchana'' {{small|Steud.}} * ''Stellaria smithii'' {{small|(Timaná) Montesin. & Borsch}} * ''Stellaria soongorica'' {{small|Roshev.}} * ''Stellaria souliei'' {{small|F.N.Williams}} * ''Stellaria spinulosa'' {{small|Montesin. & Borsch}} * ''Stellaria standleyi'' {{small|(Baehni & J.F.Macbr.) Montesin. & Borsch}} * ''Stellaria strongylosepala'' {{small|Hand.-Mazz.}} * ''Stellaria taiwanensis'' {{small|S.S.Ying}} * ''Stellaria tetrasticha'' {{small|(Mattf.) M.T.Sharples & E.A.Tripp}} * ''Stellaria tibetica'' {{small|Kurz}} * ''Stellaria uchiyamana'' {{small|Makino}} * ''Stellaria uda'' {{small|F.N.Williams}} * ''Stellaria undulata'' {{small|Thunb.}} * ''Stellaria utcubambensis'' {{small|Montesin. & Borsch}} * ''Stellaria venezuelana'' {{small|Steyerm.}} * ''Stellaria vestita'' {{small|Kurz}} * ''Stellaria villasenorii'' {{small|Montesin. & Borsch}} * ''Stellaria viridifolia'' {{small|A.P.Khokhr.) A.P.Khokhr.}} * ''Stellaria wallichiana'' {{small|Haines}} * ''Stellaria weberbaueri'' {{small|(Muschl.) Montesin. & Borsch}} * ''Stellaria weddellii'' {{small|Pedersen}} * ''Stellaria williamsiana'' {{small|Kozhevn.}} * ''Stellaria winkleri'' {{small|(Briq.) Schischk.}} * ''Stellaria xanthophylla'' {{small|Montesin. & Borsch}} * ''Stellaria yinshanensis'' {{small|L.Q.Zhao & Y.Z.Zhao}} * ''Stellaria yungasensis'' {{small|(Rusby) Rusby ex Volponi}} * ''Stellaria yunnanensis'' {{small|Franch.}} * ''Stellaria zangnanensis'' {{small|L.H.Zhou}} * ''Stellaria zhuxiensis'' {{small|Q.L.Gan & X.W.Li}} {{Div col end}}

===Formerly placed here=== * ''Engellaria obtusa'' {{small|(Engelm.) Iamonico}} (as ''Stellaria obtusa'' {{small|Engelm.}}) * ''Hesperostellaria americana'' {{small|(Porter ex B.L.Rob.) Gang Yao, B.Xue & Z.Q.Song}} (as ''Stellaria americana'' {{small|(Porter ex B.L.Rob.) Standl.}}) * ''Reniostellaria bistylata'' {{small|(W.Z.Di & Y.Ren) Gang Yao, B.Xue & Z.Q.Song}} (as ''Stellar bistylata'' {{small|W.Z.Di & Y.Ren}})<ref>{{cite web |title=''Reniostellaria bistylata'' (W.Z.Di & Y.Ren) Gang Yao, B.Xue & Z.Q.Song |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77334008-1 |website=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |access-date=7 November 2025}}</ref> * ''Schizotechium turkestanicum'' {{small|(Schischk.) Arabi, Rabeler & Zarre}} (as ''Stellaria turkestanica'' {{small| Schischk.}}) * ''Torreyostellaria jamesiana'' {{small|(Torr.) Gang Yao, B.Xue & Z.Q.Song}} (as ''Stellaria jamesiana'' {{small|Torr.}})

==References== {{Commons category|Stellaria|''Stellaria''}} {{Reflist}} * ''Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West'', Gregory L. Tilford, {{ISBN|0-87842-359-1}}

Category:Stellaria Category:Caryophyllaceae genera Category:Botanical taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Category:Taxa described in 1753