Is this plant a perennial?

It is typically an annual or short lived biennial.

How do I get rid of it?

Hand pull before it sets seed to prevent it from spreading.

Plant guide

Sticky mouse-ear chickweed.

Cerastium glomeratum

Pronounced seh-RAS-tee-um glom-er-AY-tum

Also known as Annual Mouse Ear Chickweed, Sticky Mouse-Ear, Sticky chickweed, clammy chickweed

Sticky mouse-ear chickweed — Photo by Gilles San Martin (CC BY-SA) via iNaturalist

This little plant is a common sight in lawns and disturbed soil across many regions. It is a small annual herb that spreads easily through seed production. You will often find it popping up in early spring.

At a glance

Care level: Easy
Plant type: Annual herb
Light: Full sun
Indoor light: Direct sun
Water: Every 3 to 7 days
Mature size: 10 to 30 cm
Growth rate: Fast
Hardiness: USDA 6 to 10
Bloom time: Early to mid spring

Care

This plant thrives in full sun and well drained soil. Keep an eye out for rapid spread since it drops seeds quite effectively. It does not require much attention to grow well.

Watering: Keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged.
Feeding: This plant generally does not require supplemental fertilizer.
Pruning: Trim back after flowering to prevent excessive seed dispersal.
Repotting: As an annual, this plant completes its life cycle in one season and does not need repotting.
Soil: Well drained sandy or loamy soil
Soil pH: 6.0 to 7.5
Temperature: -10 to 30°C
Humidity: 40 to 70%
Drought tolerance: Moderate
Lifespan: Annual or short lived biennial.
Deer and rabbits: Moderate

Safety

People: It is not considered toxic but is not intended for human consumption.
Children: Keep away from small children as the plant is often found in areas treated with lawn chemicals.
Contact allergens: The sticky hairs on the stems can cause mild skin irritation in sensitive individuals.
Airborne allergens: The pollen may cause mild reactions in those with grass or weed allergies.
Edibility: This plant is not typically consumed and may cause digestive upset if ingested.

How to identify it

Small white five petaled flowers
Opposite oval shaped leaves
Sticky glandular hairs on stems
Clustered flower heads at tips

Height: 0.05 to 0.25m
Spread: 0.1 to 0.3m
Leaves: green, grayish, deciduous
Flowers: white, 0.5 to 0.8cm

Problems to watch for

Powdery mildew · A white fungal growth appears on leaves during humid weather.

By symptom

Plant problems by symptom

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Growing it

Propagation: seed
When to plant: spring, autumn
Overwintering: The plant survives winter as a low rosette of leaves. No special protection is needed.
In containers: It is not typically grown in containers as it is considered a weed.

Seed

Collect seeds from dried capsules in late spring.
Scatter seeds directly onto bare soil in autumn.
Lightly rake the soil to ensure good seed contact.

It is best managed as a wild component of a meadow rather than a garden plant.

Grows well with

Common Daisy · They share similar soil and light requirements in lawn settings.
Speedwell · They often grow together in disturbed meadow habitats.

Similar species

Common Mouse Ear · It is a perennial relative that looks very similar but has a longer lifespan.

Science

Family: Caryophyllaceae
Genus: Cerastium
Order: Caryophyllales
Class: Magnoliopsida
Native range: Europe, Western Asia, and North Africa.
Conservation: This is a widespread, common species and is not of conservation concern.

It colonizes disturbed ground quickly by producing large quantities of seeds that germinate in cool, moist conditions.

Value to wildlife: early season nectar source
Pollinators: bees
Uses: ground cover, weed in lawns, wildflower meadows

Through the year

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Flowering

Fruiting

Foliage

Ecological indicators

Salinity: 1/9
Soil reaction: 5/9
Light: 7/9
Temperature: 5/9
Moisture: 4/9
Nutrients: 3/9

Taxonomy resolved against GBIF.

Questions people ask

Is this plant a perennial?: It is typically an annual or short lived biennial.
How do I get rid of it?: Hand pull before it sets seed to prevent it from spreading.

Where the name comes from

The genus name Cerastium comes from the Greek word keras, meaning horn, referring to the shape of the seed capsules. The species name glomeratum refers to the clustered arrangement of the flowers.

Good to know

It is commonly called sticky mouse ear because of the glandular hairs on its leaves.
The seeds are easily spread by wind and water.
It thrives in poor, compacted soils where other plants struggle.

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This guide was generated with AI on October 19, 2026 and checked against GBIF taxonomy. It is general information, not horticultural or veterinary advice. Read about how we build these guides.