Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

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Stellaria multiflora

Common name

Rayless starwort

Family

Caryophyllaceae

Where found

Damp shaded forest, shrubland, heath, grassy areas, and bare rocky areas. Kosciuszko National Park, the mountains to the north, and ACT.

subsp. collaris: ACT and Western Slopes

subsp. multiflora:  Kosiuszko National Park and ACT..

 subsp. nebulosa:  ACT

Notes

Annual herb to 0.1 m high or sprawling to mat-forming, hairless or with scattered long hairs. Leaves opposite each other, 0.3–1 cm long, 0.6–3.5 mm wide, tips pointed to blunt, surfaces hairless or with sparse hairs on the lower half of the margins. Flowers green, with 5 sepals each 3–5 mm long, margins conspicuous, dry and membranous, and 0 petals or sometimes 2–4 petals 0.2–1 mm long. Flowers single. Flowering: winter-summer.

subsp. collaris:  Stalks of individual seed cases with a distinct collar or wrinkles just under the seed case. Mature seed cases  less than 2 mm in diameter; valve tips straight or slightly curved down

All native plants on unleased land in the ACT are protected.

subsp. multiflora:  Stalks of individual seed cases smooth and lacking a collar. Mature seed cases usually more than 2 mm wide, shorter or longer than the sepals, valves strongly rolled down at the tips. Plants hairless.

All native plants on unleased land in the ACT are protected.

subsp. nebulosa: Stalks of individual seed cases smooth and lacking a collar. Mature seed cases up to 2 mm wide, equal to or longer than the sepals, valves sometimes curved down but never strongly rolled down at the tips. Plants hairless or sparsely hairy.

All native plants on unleased land in the ACT are protected.

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Stellaria~multiflora  (accessed 25 April 2021)