<Alt Text 1 of 2> The Wild Harvest Digest: March 2025, #3 Good Morning Neighbors, Today’s wild plant of the week is one that you’ve probably seen in the late winter or spring but thought nothing of. It is in the same family as another plant that is far more dramatic in its spread by this time of the year. This plant is commonly called Mouse-Ear Chickweed (Cerastium glomeratum) or Sticky Chickweed due to the fuzz it has on its leaves and stems. In this case the name Chickweed isn’t a fluke of common name as it is related to Chickweed (Stellaria media) and thus is a member of Caryophyllaceae which is the Carnation family. Like its cousin, Mouse-Ear Chickweed is a non-native annual that appears in the cool season. It tends to appear in areas with disturbed soil and I often spot it in places where landscapers often have recently string trimmed to cut edges or have otherwise moved the topsoil around. Its flowers have five notched petals and are white but are also bigger than Common Chickweed. In general this plant has less of a sprawling habit to it when compared to its cousin and may have dark red stems in some cases. Interestingly this annual which does not survive too long into the high temperatures of summer, has a pretty decent taproot. I mention his because damaging the tap root during transplanting can be problematic if you are planning to intentionally grow one of these. <Please See Alt Text 2 of 2 for more>
<Alt Text 2 of 2> But, the best part is that this little cool season annual is no less edible than its cousin is. As it turns out, the leaves and shoots of this plant were used as a wild forage food in ancient China. In general though it can be eaten raw or in cooked form so; the same recipes for Common Chickweed should work for this relative as well. As for medicinal/herbal uses I’ve managed to find two uses that are repeated by credible sources so it should be safe to consider the following. While I cannot find a originating source for the claim, the juice of this plant dropped into the nostrils during a nosebleed is said to stop the bleeding. The action by which this works is unclear, but it may be a coagulant and this might help with other minor wounds. In Nepal the juice of this plant is applied to the forehead to lessen the effects of a headache. There are a number of common ‘weeds’ that have similar compounds as Asprin, specifically Salicylic acid which was first isolated in Willow bark but is also known to be found in the leaves of English Violets (Viola odorata). Oh and as a tip on looking for willows for pain relief, Purple Willow (Salix purpurea) and it’s hybrids with Daphne Willow (S. daphnoides) are the best sources for quality pain relieving bark. The specimen pictured is starting to bloom and is surrounded by Cudweeds, Plantains and Annual Bluegrass.
The Wild Harvest Digest: March 2025, #3
Good Morning Neighbors,
Today’s wild plant of the week is one that you’ve probably seen.... <See Alt Text for More!>
#Chickweed #WildEdiblePlants #LeafGreens
