Cerastium arvense L.

Scientific Name and Growth Form

Cerastium arvense L. (field mouse-ears) is a perennial herb that reaches a height of 30–45 cm (12–18 in).

Growth Habit and Root System

It can grow as a mat, clump, creeper, or upright flowering plant, and develops from either a taproot or a tangled network of rhizomes.

Foliage Texture

Its texture is typically somewhat hairy, often with glandular hairs.

Leaf Characteristics

The leaves are linear, lance-shaped, or oblong, and measure a few centimeters long.

Inflorescence Structure

Its inflorescence can range from a single flower to a dense cluster of many flowers.

Flower Morphology

Each flower has five white petals, each divided into two lobes, and five hairy green sepals at its base.

Fruit and Seed Characteristics

The fruit is a capsule up to 1.5 cm (0.59 in) long, with ten tiny teeth at its tip, and it holds several brown seeds.

Cultivation Debate

Among wildflower gardeners, there is disagreement over whether field mouse-ears belongs in cultivation.

Anti-Cultivation Opinion

Prominent rock gardener Louise Beebe Wilder strongly recommended against growing it.

Pro-Cultivation Opinion

But C.W. Wood and Claude A. Barr both agreed that a well-selected specimen of the plant has a place in gardens, for example as a groundcover for difficult shady spots.