Ontario Weeds: Corn spurry

Table of Contents

1. Name
2. Other Names
3. Family
4. General Description
   • Photos and Pictures
5. Stems and Roots
6. Flowers and Fruit
7. Habitat
8. Similar Species
9. Related links
10. For more information...

Name: Corn spurry, Spergula arvensis L.,

Other Names: Spurrey, spargoute des champs, spargoute, herbe à Bolduc

Family: Pink Family (Caryophyllaceae)

General Description: Annual, reproducing only by seed.

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Photos and Pictures:

Corn spurry. A. Plant. B. Seedling, side view. C. Seedling, top view.

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Stems & Roots: Stem - single or much-branched, 10 - 50 cm (4 - 20 in.) high, bright green, finely hairy and sometimes slightly sticky; leaves 2-5cm (4/5-2in.) long, very narrow, flat or slightly rounded in cross-section, those on young plants in a rosette-like cluster resembling grass, on older plants in whorls of 6 to 30 or more at each node.

Flowers & Fruit: Flowers small but often very numerous on short stalks (1-3cm, 2/5-1¼in.) in the upper part of the plant, with 5 green sepals and 5 white petals about 3mm (1/8in.) long, usually 10 stamens, and 5 styles on the top of the small oval seedpod; mature seedpod longer than the sepals and splitting into 5 divisions to release the numerous black, flat, round seeds, each of which has a narrow pale or white wing around its margin. Flowers from June to October.

Related Links

• Weeds in Ontario
• OMAFRA Publication 505: Ontario Weeds
• OMAFRA Publication 75: Guide To Weed Control

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