Chickweed
Stellaria media
leaf
⚠️ Toxic look-alike
Never eat this plant unless you are certain it is not its toxic look-alike.
Before flowering, it looks like scarlet pimpernel, which is toxic: digestive upset and kidney damage. Chickweed has a single line of hairs along the stem, which switches sides at each node, and small white star-shaped flowers with petals so deeply split that you seem to count ten; scarlet pimpernel has a smooth square stem, orange or blue flowers, and little black dots under the leaves. Wait until you see the flowers.
If in the slightest doubt, leave it. If you feel unwell after eating it, even several hours later, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or 911.
A small tender herb tasting of fresh corn and peas, raw in salads or in pesto.
- Origin
- Throughout the temperate world
- Season (United States)
- all year round
- Preparation
- The tender tops are snipped with scissors, without the tough lower stems, and washed; they are eaten raw.
- Did you know?
- It grows even in winter, in resting vegetable gardens.