Pasture Watch
A mousey little weed
What is it?
A short-lived (12 months) perennial
Why is it a weed in pasture?
• spreading invasive plant that competes with pasture and crops;
• can germinate all year round, but most commonly in spring and autumn; • seeds can be dormant in soil for up to 40 years.
Where is it found?
All over NZ
Is it toxic?
No
Identifying features
Dark green, hairy, mouse ear-shaped leaves; small white flowers with 5 petals from October-March.
Other uses
Young growing tips are edible, raw or cooked, but most people prefer hair-free common chickweed.
MOUSE-EAR CHICKWEED (Cerastium fontanum) grows flat to the ground, smothering pasture plants, and infesting crops.
If left unchecked, it forms a dark green mat of stems and leaves. After flowering, it produces small, curved seed capsules containing tiny brown seeds that can germinate all year round.
The mouse-ear weeds
There are two other ‘mouse-ear' weeds, and it's easy to mistake them for perennial mouse-ear chickweed.
Annual mouse-ear chickweed
(Cerastium glomeratum) looks quite similar but is lighter green and dies off in winter.
Common field chickweed
(Cerastium arvense) also spreads like a mat, but it has smooth, hair-free leaves.
How to control it
If you create the ideal soil conditions for pasture plants and use good grazing management practices, you won't have an issue with mouse-ear chickweed.
British research shows grazing sheep, and regularly harrowing pasture also help control its spread.