Saturday 16 June 2018

Greater stitchwort



Greater stitchwort (Stellaria holostea) is a plant that grows in woods and hedgerows throughout the British Isles, with the sole exception of the Shetlands. It is a straggly plant that prefers to grow in shade and in company with other plants which it needs for support given the weakness of its stems, which are easily broken.

If supported, greater stitchwort can grow up to 24 inches (60 centimetres) above the ground. It has shorter non-flowering stems and longer flowering ones. The leaves are stalkless and narrow, with long points.

The attractive white flowers appear from April to June. The five petals are divided for half their length and are longer than the sepals. There are ten stamens. The fruit is a globe-shaped capsule.

The botanical name “holostea” comes from two Greek words meaning “whole” and “bone”. This comes from an ancient belief that a plant that breaks easily must be useful in helping to mend broken bones, which seems like an interesting logical conclusion to come to!

The name “stitchwort” refers to the plant’s supposed ability to cure “stitch” pains (cramp) caused by vigorous exercise. A preparation of stitchwort and acorns in wine was supposed to do the trick – on the other hand, the time taken to make this potion was probably greater than that of the pain of the stitch!
© John Welford

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