Stellaria

The Setaceous Hebrew Character is a moth of the family Noctuidae. It is a common species throughout Europe.The forewings of this species are reddish brown with distinctive patterning towards the base: a black mark resembling the Hebrew letter Nun: Coleophora

Coleophora

Coleophora is a very large genus of moths of the family Coleophoridae with around 1000 described species. The genus is represented on all continents but the majority are found in the Nearctic and Palaearctic regions...

case-bearers C. coenosipennella (feeds exclusively on Stellaria spp), C. lineolea (recorded on S. graminea), C. lithargyrinella (recorded on S. holostea), C. solitariella (feeds exclusively on S. holostea) and C. striatipennella.

Uses

Some species, including Stellaria media, are used as leaf vegetable

Leaf vegetable

Leaf vegetables, also called potherbs, green vegetables, greens, or leafy greens, are plant leaves eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by tender petioles and shoots...

s, often raw in salad

Salad

Salad is any of a wide variety of dishes including: green salads; vegetable salads; salads of pasta, legumes, or grains; mixed salads incorporating meat, poultry, or seafood; and fruit salads. They include a mixture of cold or hot foods, often including raw vegetables and/or fruits.Green salads...

s.

Stellaria media is widespread in North America from the Brooks Range

Brooks Range

The Brooks Range is a mountain range that stretches from west to east across northern Alaska and into Canada's Yukon Territory, a total distance of about 1100 km . The mountains top out at over 2,700 m . Mount Chamberlin, 9020 ft , is the highest peak in the range...

 in Alaska to all points south within North America. There are several closely related plants referred to as chickweed, but which lack the culinary and medicinal properties of plants in the genus Stellaria. Plants in the genus Cerastium are very similar in appearance to Stellaria and are in the same family (Carophyllaceae). Stellaria media can be easily distinguished from all other members of this family by examining the stems. Stellaria has fine hairs on only one side of the stem in a single band. Other members of the family Carophyllaceae which resemble Stellaria have hairs uniformly covering the entire stem.
This is a favored food of finches and many other seed-eating birds.

Selected species

Stellaria abortiva Stellaria alaschanica Stellaria alaskana Stellaria alsine Stellaria amblyosepala Stellaria americana Stellaria arenarioides Stellaria arisanensis Stellaria aquaticum - Water Chickweed Stellaria axillaris Stellaria bistyla Stellaria borealis Stellaria brachypetala Stellaria bungeana Stellaria calycantha Stellaria cherleriae Stellaria chinensis Stellaria ciliatisepala Stellaria congestiflora Stellaria corei Stellaria crassifolia Stellaria crassifolia Stellaria crassifolia is a plant of the stellaria genus and found in Iceland. Its common Icelandish name is "Stjörnuarfi" .... Stellaria crassipes Stellaria crispa Stellaria cuspidata Stellaria decumbens Stellaria delavayi Stellaria depressa Stellaria dianthifolia Stellaria dichotoma Stellaria dicranoides Stellaria discolor Stellaria ebracteata Stellaria fennica Stellaria filicaulis Stellaria fontinalis Stellaria graminea Stellaria graminea Stellaria graminea, commonly known as grasslike starwort, or lesser stitchwort is a plant species of the genus Stellaria native to Eurasia and introduced to North America.... - Lesser Stitchwort Stellaria gyangtseensis Stellaria gyirongensis Stellaria henryi Stellaria holostea Stellaria holostea Stellaria holostea is an ornamental plant native of Europe.It can grow up to 50cm in height, with leaves that are long, narrow and fresh green. The flowers are white, 20-30mm across and have five distinctive petals split to about half way down.-External links:**... - Greater Stitchwort Stellaria humifusa Stellaria humifusa Stellaria humifusa or Saltmarsh Starwort is known in Iceland as "Lágarfi" , and grows only in beach areas.... - Saltmarsh Starwort Stellaria imbricata Stellaria infracta Stellaria irrigua Stellaria lanata Stellaria lanipes

Stellaria littoralis Stellaria longifolia Stellaria longipes - Long-stalk Starwort Stellaria mainlingensis Stellaria martjanovii Stellaria media - Common Chickweed Stellaria monosperma Stellaria neglecta - Greater Chickweed Stellaria nemorum - Wood Stitchwort Stellaria nepalensis Stellaria nipponica Stellaria nitens Stellaria obtusa Stellaria omeiensis Stellaria ovatifolia Stellaria oxycoccoides Stellaria pallida - Lesser Chickweed Stellaria palustris - Marsh Stitchwort Stellaria parva Stellaria parviumbellata Stellaria patens Stellaria petiolaris Stellaria petraea Stellaria pilosoides Stellaria porsildii Stellaria pubera Stellaria pubera Stellaria pubera is a wildflower found in the eastern United States and the Great Smokey Mountains.... - Star Chickweed Stellaria pusilla Stellaria radians Stellaria reticulivena Stellaria rotundifolia Stellaria ruscifolia Stellaria salicifolia Stellaria soongorica Stellaria souliei Stellaria stenopetala Stellaria strongylosepala Stellaria subumbellata Stellaria tibetica Stellaria uda Stellaria uliginosa - Bog Stitchwort Stellaria umbellata Stellaria vestita Stellaria winkleri Stellaria wushanensis Stellaria yunnanensis Stellaria zangnanensis