Longleaf starwort is a small, low-growing, rhizomatous perennial herb native to cool northern regions, usually found in damp meadows, marshes and roadsides. It is a wild plant, rarely grown on purpose, and it thrives where the soil stays moist.
Family
Caryophyllaceae (Pink & carnation family)
Grows as
Perennial
Light
Full sun, Part shade
Water
Keep the soil consistently moist, as it naturally grows in damp habitats.
Soil
Moist, fertile, loamy soil.
Temperature
Hardy in cool temperate climates; tolerates cold winters.
How easy
Easy
Native range
Temp. Northern Hemisphere
Climate
temperate
About
Stellaria longifolia is a species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae known by the common name longleaf starwort. It is native to much of the northern half of the Northern Hemisphere, occurring throughout northern Europe and North America. It grows in many types of moist habitat, including meadows, marshes, and roadsides. It is a rhizomatous perennial herb forming clumps with sprawling, branching stems which are mostly hairless except for tiny rough hairs along the edges of the squarish stem. The linear to lance-shaped leaves are up to 3.5 centimeters long and are oppositely arranged in pairs. The inflorescence bears several flowers, each on a short pedicel. The flower has five pointed green sepals each a few millimeters long. There are five white petals, each so deeply lobed it appears to be two.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Stellaria longifolia by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.