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Cerastium nutans

Raf.

Nodding Chickweed

G5Secure Found in 2 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
UnknownThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.155626
Element CodePDCAR060K0
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderCaryophyllales
FamilyCaryophyllaceae
GenusCerastium
Other Common Names
Céraiste penché (FR) Long-stalked Chickweed (EN) nodding chickweed (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-07-30
Change Date1988-08-04
Edition Date2024-07-30
Edition AuthorsJohnson, J. (2024)
Threat ImpactUnknown
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences81 to >300
Rank Reasons
Cerastium nutans is a wide ranging annual herb occurring across much of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. With a large range extent, more than 250 occurrences, abundant habitat, broad habitat preferences, and no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities, this species is considered secure.
Range Extent Comments
Cerastium nutans is native to much of North America and parts of northwestern South America. It is also introduced in scattered areas of Europe. Range extent was estimated using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium records and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024, there are estimated to be more than 250 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Although threats are not widely documented, Cerastium nutans is potentially threatened by development, road maintenance, invasive species, and other threats in some places. However, their overall impact is likely negligible given the species' broad range, large number of occurrences, tolerance of light disturbance, and affinity for typically abundant habitats, as well as no obvious intrinsic vulnerabilities.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Cerastium nutans occupies a wide variety of habitats across its range. It can be found in moist woods, stream banks, meadows, shores, rock ledges, boggy places, cultivated land, desert washes, ponderosa pine woodlands, and among rocks in uplands (FNA 2005).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest/WoodlandSavannaGrassland/herbaceousOld fieldCropland/hedgerow
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
SaskatchewanS4Yes
British ColumbiaS5Yes
ManitobaS4Yes
Yukon TerritoryS4Yes
QuebecSNRYes
AlbertaS4Yes
OntarioS4Yes
Northwest TerritoriesSNANo
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
OregonSNRYes
VermontS1Yes
IdahoSNRYes
MissouriSNRYes
KentuckyS5Yes
South DakotaSNRYes
District of ColumbiaSNRYes
ArkansasSNRYes
South CarolinaSNRYes
MarylandSNRYes
North CarolinaS2Yes
DelawareS1Yes
IllinoisS5Yes
MontanaSNRYes
New MexicoSNRYes
TexasSNRYes
AlabamaSNRYes
New JerseySNRYes
KansasSNRYes
North DakotaSNRYes
MinnesotaSNRYes
VirginiaS5Yes
WashingtonSNRYes
ConnecticutSUYes
IowaS4Yes
MississippiSNRYes
MassachusettsS1Yes
IndianaSNRYes
West VirginiaS4Yes
GeorgiaS4Yes
PennsylvaniaS5Yes
MichiganSNRYes
New YorkSNRYes
UtahS2Yes
TennesseeSNRYes
ArizonaSNRYes
WisconsinSNRYes
ColoradoSNRYes
OhioSNRYes
WyomingS1Yes
NebraskaSNRYes
OklahomaSNRYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
Unknown/undeterminedUnknownUnknownUnknown

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Plant Characteristics
DurationANNUAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (2)
Arizona (1)
AreaForestAcres
Cdo WsaCoronado National Forest1,955
Illinois (1)
AreaForestAcres
Bay CreekShawnee National Forest120
References (5)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2005. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 5. Magnoliophyta: Caryophyllidae: Caryophyllales, Polygonales, and Plumbaginales. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. vii + 656 pp.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  3. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  4. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  5. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).