Holosteum is a genus of plants in the family Caryophyllaceae with 3 or 4 species native from southern Europe through central and south western Asia and in Africa. They are herbs with an annual life span, some growing as winter annuals. They have slender roots and thin stems that are upright or ascending. The genus name was given by Linnaeus, and named because of the sprawling nature of the plants: Greek holos, meaning whole or all, and osteon, meaning bone, because of the frailty of the plant.
This subspecies of the umbel holostea is distinguished from the type by a generally stockier appearance, a glabrous stem and umbels, ciliate but not glandular leaves, and a greater number of stamens. It grows in steppe lawns and is much rarer than the type species found in wasteland and crops.Flowers are bisexual but sometimes also unisexual and pistillate. Flowers are hypogynous, have 5 sepals that are distinct and green in color and lanceolate to ovate in shape and 2.5-4.5 mm long. Typically with no stipules. The flowers have 5 petals that are white to soft pink in color and are clawed. Plants typically are found as small inconspicuous early spring blooming plants with short life spans.
Common names for the plants in this genus include jagged chickweeds.This subspecies of the umbel holostea is distinguished from the type by a generally stockier appearance, a glabrous stem and umbels, ciliate but not glandular leaves, and a greater number of stamens. It grows in steppe lawns and is much rarer than the type species found in wasteland and crops.This small caryophyllaceae is found at the start of the season in crops and lawns. However, you have to be careful enough to find this very small, fairly skinny plant with very discreet and often not very open flowers. Its hairy, glandular stem bears small lanceolate leaves and long pedicellate white flowers mounted in umbels. The hirsutum subspecies is much rarer and hairless
This plant is useful.
How to get rid of:
Dig the beds with a pitchfork. This will prevent you from cutting the rhizomes of perennial weeds. And with a shovel, do it for sure. And the more small pieces remain in the soil, the more weeds will grow next year.
