Cerastium furcatum

Cham. & Schltdl.

Yuan mao juan er

Caryophyllaceae Edible: Leaves 59 iNaturalist observations

iNaturalist· cc-by-nc

Summary

Cerastium furcatum is a perennial reaching 0.5 m tall. It flowers from May to August with seeds ripening July to September. The plant is hermaphroditic and thrives in light sandy, medium loamy, or heavy clay soils with mildly acid to basic pH. It requires full sun and prefers moist conditions.

Description

A herb. It keeps growing from year to year. It is 15-55 cm tall. The leaves at the base are spoon shaped. The leaves on the stem are oval or sword shaped. They are 1-3 cm long by 0.5-1 cm wide.

Edible Uses

Young leaves and stems are edible cooked.

Medicinal Uses

None known.

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. It grows on forest margins, mountain valleys, hillsides and summits, meadows between 1200–3800 m. in China. In Sichuan and Yunnan.

Where It Grows

Asia, China, Japan, Korea, North Korea, Russia,

Cultivation

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it should succeed outdoors in many parts of this country. It is likely to require a moist soil in light shade.

Propagation

Sow seed in spring in a cold frame. Prick seedlings out into individual pots once large enough to handle, then plant into permanent positions during summer. Division in spring may also be possible.

Other Uses

None known.

Notes

There are about 100 Cerastium species.

Synonyms

Cerastium amurense OhwiCerastium ciliatum OhwiCerastium ciliatum var. acutifolium (Franchet) Handel-MazzettiCerastium ciliatum var. brevifolium (Franchet) Handel-MazzettiCerastium rigidum Ledebour (1815), not (Scopoli) Vitman (1789)Cerastium rubescens MattfeldCerastium vulgatum Linnaeus var. acutifolium FranchetCerastium vulgatum var. brevifolium Franchet,

References (3)

Flora of China @ efloras.org Volume 6
Lu Dequan, Wu Zhengyi, Zhou Lihua, Chen Shilong; Michael G. Gilbert, Magnus Lidén, John McNeill, John K. Morton, Bengt Oxelman, Richard K. Rabeler, Mats Thulin, Nicholas J. Turland, Warren L. Wagner, CARYOPHYLLACEAE, Flora of China.
Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/