HerbWildAnnualMedicinal

Stellaria media (L.) Vill

Phullan Booti · Chickweed

Synonym: Alsine media L

No photograph on file for this species yet. Contributors can submit one.

Description

Stellaria media is a delicate annual or short-lived perennial herb, usually 5–40 cm tall, with weak, creeping to ascending stems bearing a distinctive single line of hairs along one side. Leaves are opposite, ovate to broadly elliptic, with entire margins; lower leaves are petiolate while upper leaves are sessile. Flowers are small, white, with five deeply bifid petals that appear as ten petals, and are borne singly or in loose cymes. Fruits are ovoid capsules that split into six valves, releasing numerous small reddish-brown seeds.

Diagnostic Characters

Vegetative

Slender creeping stems with a single line of hairs and opposite ovate leaves.

Floral

Small white flowers with deeply divided petals appearing as ten petals.

Fruit & Seed

Ovoid capsules opening by six valves and containing numerous reddish-brown seeds.

Distribution

Native range: Europe and temperate Asia.

Introduced range: Cosmopolitan in temperate and subtropical regions.

In Pakistan: Common throughout Pakistan, especially during winter and spring.

Phenology

Flowering

Fruiting

Flowering: Nearly throughout the year, especially December–May Fruiting: Throughout the flowering season

Ethnobotany & Uses

Food Uses

Young leaves and shoots are edible and consumed fresh in salads or cooked as a leafy vegetable.

Medicinal Uses

Traditionally used for treating skin diseases, wounds, inflammation, coughs, and digestive disorders.

Ecological Importance

Provides nectar for small pollinating insects and serves as forage for birds and livestock.

Agricultural Importance

Common winter weed in cultivated fields and gardens.

UniFlora AI Assistant

Ask about Phullan Booti

Hello! I'm UniFlora AI. Ask me anything about Phullan Booti (*Stellaria media*) — identification tips, flowering season, uses, campus locations, or taxonomy.

Where it grows on campus

This species is on the campus floristic list but was not pinned during the GPS mapping survey, so it has no map records yet.

Taxonomic Notes

Stellaria media, commonly known as Common Chickweed, is easily recognized by its slender stems with a single line of hairs and its deeply divided white petals that appear to be ten. It is one of the most widespread members of the Caryophyllaceae and is accepted by Flora of Pakistan, Plants of the World Online (POWO), and World Flora Online (WFO).