Is this plant a weed?

Yes, it is widely considered a common lawn weed.

Regular mowing and maintaining a thick, healthy lawn will help suppress it.

Plant guide

Common mouse-ear chickweed.

Cerastium fontanum

Pronounced seh-RAS-tee-um fon-TAN-um

Also known as Common Chickweed, Common Mouse-Ear, Common Mouse-ear Chickweed, Mouse-ear Chickweed

Common mouse-ear chickweed — Photo by Wolfgang Jauch (CC BY) via iNaturalist

This low-growing plant is a common sight in lawns and meadows across many regions. It spreads quickly through creeping stems that root at the nodes. You will find it is quite resilient and adaptable to various soil conditions.

At a glance

Care level: Easy
Plant type: Herbaceous perennial
Light: Full sun to partial shade
Indoor light: Direct sun
Water: Every 3 to 7 days
Mature size: 6 to 12 inches
Growth rate: Fast
Hardiness: USDA 3 to 9
Bloom time: Late spring to summer

Care

Water when the top inch of soil feels dry to support its rapid spread. Watch for yellowing leaves which may indicate poor drainage or too much shade. It handles regular foot traffic quite well.

Watering: Water when the top inch of soil feels dry to the touch.
Feeding: Apply a balanced liquid fertilizer sparingly during the active growing season.
Pruning: Trim back stems to encourage a denser habit and prevent unwanted spreading.
Repotting: Repot only if the plant becomes root-bound or needs fresh soil nutrients.
Soil: Well-draining loamy soil
Soil pH: 6.0 to 7.5
Temperature: -20 to 30°C
Humidity: 40 to 80%

Safety

People: The plant is generally considered non-toxic but is not meant for human consumption.
Children: Keep away from young children as the small seeds and foliage are not food.
Contact allergens: Handling the stems may cause mild skin irritation in sensitive individuals.
Airborne allergens: The pollen can trigger mild seasonal allergies in some people.
Edibility: This plant is not considered edible and may cause stomach upset if ingested.

How to identify it

Small opposite oval leaves
Soft hairs on foliage
Five white notched petals
Low creeping growth habit

Height: 0.05 to 0.45m
Spread: 0.1 to 0.6m
Leaves: green, semi-evergreen
Flowers: white, 0.5 to 1cm
Fruit: brown, late summer

Problems to watch for

AphidsCommon
Powdery MildewCommon
Root RotUncommon
Slugs and SnailsUncommon

By symptom

Plant problems by symptom

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Growing it

Propagation: seed, division
When to plant: spring, autumn

This plant is best managed as a component of wild meadows rather than formal garden beds.

Grows well with

White Clover · They often grow together in low-maintenance turf areas.
Dandelion · They share similar habitat preferences in disturbed meadows.

Similar species

Snow-in-summer · It is a popular garden relative with more showy, silvery foliage.

Science

Family: Caryophyllaceae
Genus: Cerastium
Order: Caryophyllales
Class: Magnoliopsida
Native range: Europe and parts of Asia.
Conservation: This species is widespread and common, so it is not of conservation concern.

It survives by spreading rapidly through seeds and rooting stems in disturbed, moist soils.

Value to wildlife: nectar source
Pollinators: bees, butterflies
Uses: ground cover, weed control, pollinator habitat

Through the year

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Flowering

Fruiting

Foliage

Ecological indicators

Salinity: 2/9
Soil reaction: 5/9
Light: 6/9
Temperature: 5/9
Moisture: 5/9
Nutrients: 5/9

Taxonomy resolved against GBIF.

Questions people ask

Is this plant a weed?: Yes, it is widely considered a common lawn weed.
How do I control it?: Regular mowing and maintaining a thick, healthy lawn will help suppress it.

Where the name comes from

The genus name Cerastium comes from the Greek word for horn, referring to the shape of the seed capsules. The specific epithet fontanum means of a fountain or spring.

Good to know

It is a very successful colonizer of lawns and pastures.
The name mouse-ear refers to the shape and hairiness of the leaves.
It can reproduce both by seed and by rooting at the nodes.

Keep your common mouse-ear chickweed growing

This page is a general guide. Save your plant in Pocket Botanist and you get care reminders timed for this plant, plus a care history that shows what worked.

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This guide was generated with AI on September 26, 2026 and checked against GBIF taxonomy. It is general information, not horticultural or veterinary advice. Read about how we build these guides.