MOUSE-EAR CHICKWEED, Cerastium vulgatum L. 1, plant; 2, flower; 3, seed pod enclosed in calyx; 4, seed. Perennial, reproducing by seeds, occasionally by root development on lower branches. Roots shallow, branched, fibrous. Stems hairy, slender, partly spreading to erect. Leaves small, very hairy, opposite, attached directly to the stem. Flowers small, with 5 white petals notched at the tips, surrounded by an equal number of hairy sepals. Seed pods very small, cylinder-like, located at tips of the stems, containing many seeds. Seeds brown, very small, circular, flattened with a rounded back bearing irregular knobs. Seeds long-lived, often remaining dormant in the soil over several seasons. Found in lawns, pastures, and abandoned cultivated land.