Field mouse-ear (Cerastium arvense) is found on chalky, dry
or slightly acidic grassland in much of Great Britain, although it is only seen
rarely on the eastern side of the country.
It is a low plant, growing up to 12 inches (30 centimetres)
high. The stems are hairy, as are the narrow pointed leaves, the downy texture
of which accounts for the name “mouse-ear”. The non-flowering stems sprawl on
the ground but the flowering stems are more upright.
The white flowers, with deeply-divided petals, appear from
April to August. The cylindrical seed capsules only release seeds in dry air,
thus ensuring that they can be blown by the wind. The slightly curved shape of
the capsules was what prompted the botanical name Cerastium, because they look
a bit like miniature cows’ horns, and the Greek for horn is “keras” – which is
also the root of “keratin”, the horny substance that forms horses’ hoofs and
human fingernails.
© John Welford
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