Cerastium fontanum
Mouse-ear Chickweed, common mouse-ear chickweed, common chickweed, large mouseear chickweed, mouse-ear
Description: herbaceous perennial
Place of origin: Eurasia
Urban habitat: commonly found in minimally maintained lawns, vacant lots, rubble dumps, highway banks and medians, roadsides, small pavement openings; can tolerate dry, soils and roadway salt; thrives in full sun but can also tolerate shade.
Ecological function: disturbance-adapted colonizer of bare ground; food for wildlife.
History: Cerastium fontanum is one of the most common grasses found in the urban environment and is presently found throughout the most of the US and southern Canada. The related species, field chickweed, has astringent qualities and was used by some Native American tribes in the treatment of miscarriage and uterine bleeding.