Cerastium fontanum
| Cerastium fontanum | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring-Early Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Cerastium fontanum (common name: chickweed)
Propagation: Seed - we have no information on this species but suggest sowing the seed in spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer.
Division in spring might be possible.
Cultivation: We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors in many parts of this country. The subspecies C. fontanum grandiflorum is an annual, though subspecies C. fontanum vulgare is a short-lived perennial[1]. It is likely to require a moist soil in light shade.
Range: E. Asia - Himalayas.
Habitat: Moist shaded situations, 1700 - 2800 metres in Srinagar[2]. A cosmopolitan weed in China, where it grows at elevations up to 4300 metres[1].
Edibility: Leaves - raw or cooked[3]. Leaves and young stems - cooked[4].
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Late Spring-Mid Summer
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Flora of China. 1994.
- ↑ Singh, Gurcharan and Premnath Kachroo. Forest Flora of Srinagar. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, 1976.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.