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The Western Australian Herbarium’s collections management system and census were set to read-only mode on 1 October 2025. Taxonomic updates published since this time are not being reflected in Florabase, herbarium collections, or Western Australia’s taxonomic names census (Nomos). Conservation listings displayed on Florabase may also be out of date. Please refer to DBCA’s Threatened species and communities webpage for the most recent Threatened and Priority Flora List, noting that recent taxonomic updates are similarly not included. Our database migration is moving to a staging phase. We thank you for your patience as we ensure the integrity of our biodiversity data, develop new workflows, and train staff to use the new systems. Please reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns.

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Cerastium L.

Reference
Sp.Pl. [Linnaeus] 2:437 (1753)
Name Status
Current

Scientific Description

Family Caryophyllaceae.

Subfamily Alsinoideae, Tribe Alsineae.

Habit and leaf form. Herbs, or shrubs (rarely, subshrubs); non-laticiferous and without coloured juice. ‘Normal’ plants. Leaves well developed. Plants with roots; non-succulent; unarmed. Annual, or perennial. Leaves cauline. To 0.5 m high. Self supporting (or mat-forming). Mesophytic. Not heterophyllous, or heterophyllous (rarely). Leaves variable small to very large; not fasciculate; opposite; with blades; subsessile, or sessile; simple; not peltate. Leaf blades entire; flat; variable. Mature leaf blades adaxially glabrous; abaxially glabrous. Leaves without stipules. Leaf blade margins entire; flat. Leaf anatomy. Hairs absent; glandular hairs absent.

Reproductive type, pollination. Fertile flowers hermaphrodite. Unisexual flowers absent. Plants hermaphrodite. Floral nectaries present.

Inflorescence and flower features. Flowers aggregated in ‘inflorescences’, or solitary (rarely). Inflorescence few-flowered. Flowers in cymes. Inflorescences compound. The terminal inflorescence unit cymose. Inflorescences terminal. Flowers pedicellate; small; regular; tetracyclic, or tricyclic (rarely). Free hypanthium present (subperigynous). Perianth with distinct calyx and corolla, or sepaline (rarely); 10, or (4–)5 (rarely); 2 -whorled, or 1 -whorled (rarely); isomerous, or anisomerous (rarely). Calyx present; (4–)5; 1 -whorled; polysepalous; glabrous; valvate. Corolla present, or absent; 0, or 5; 0 -whorled, or 1 -whorled; polypetalous; contorted, or imbricate (rarely); white. Petals emarginate or bifid; sessile. Corolla members deeply bifid, or bilobed (emarginate). Androecium present. Fertile stamens present. Androecium (8–)10, or 5. Androecial members all equal; free of one another; 1 -whorled, or 2 -whorled. Androecium exclusively of fertile stamens. Stamens (8–)10, or 5; isomerous with the perianth, or diplostemonous (obdiplostemonous), or reduced in number relative to the adjacent perianth (rarely); oppositisepalous. Anthers separate from one another; dehiscing via longitudinal slits; introrse; bilocular; tetrasporangiate. Fertile gynoecium present. Gynoecium 1 carpelled. The pistil 1 celled. Gynoecium syncarpous; synovarious; superior. Ovary unilocular; 1 locular. Gynoecium stylate. Styles (2–)5, or 6 (rarely); free; simple. Stigmas (2–)5, or 6 (rarely); 1 - lobed. Placentation free central, or basal. Ovules campylotropous.

Fruit and seed features. Fruit 6–12 mm long; not hairy; dehiscent; a capsule. Dispersal unit the seed. Fruit 50 seeded (‘numerous’). Perisperm present. Seeds minute, or small.

Geography, cytology, number of species. Holarctic. Adventive. Not endemic to Australia. Australian states and territories: Western Australia, South Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Australian Capital Territory, and Tasmania. South-West Botanical Province. 2n=30, 34, 36, 38, 40, 48, 52, 54, 72, 82–86, 90, 94–96, ca 108, ca 126, 144. A genus of ca 100 species; 4 species in Western Australia; 0 endemic to Western Australia.