Stellaria neglecta, the greater chickweed, is an annual or short-lived herbaceous perennial flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. It is native to Europe.
Stellaria neglecta resembles S. media, but is generally larger in all its parts. It has weak branching stems, that are usually decumbent at the base, ascending distally to around 80–90 cm. Between each pair of nodes, the stem carries a single row of hairs.
The lower leaves are long-stalked, with the leaf blade 1−2.5 cm long and the stalk up to twice as long; the upper leaves have a short flattened stalk or are sessile, with the leaf blade up to 5 cm long; the leaf blade is ovate to broadly elliptical, acuminate, and glabrous.
This plant might be poisonous
How to get rid of:
Should be removed before it flowers. It is a copious seeder with a very short interval between germination to flowering (four to six weeks). If chickweed is an issue in a nursery, frequent hand weeding (every two to three weeks)
will prevent further spread.
In landscapes, light tillage or hoeing can be used to control emerged chickweed. In both nurseries and landscapes, organic mulch (pine straw, pine bark, wood chips, rice hulls, etc.) can provide control. In containers, mulch can be applied at depths of 1 to 1.5 inches, whereas 2- to 3-inch depths can be applied in the
landscape.
