Nodding Chickweed: A Little-Known Native Wildflower
If you’ve stumbled across the name nodding chickweed in your native plant research, you’ve discovered one of the more mysterious members of the American Southwest’s flora. Cerastium nutans var. obtectum is a native wildflower that calls the desert regions home, though you’d be forgiven for never having heard of it before!
What Exactly Is Nodding Chickweed?
Nodding chickweed belongs to the carnation family and is classified as a forb – essentially a non-woody flowering plant. This particular variety can be either annual or perennial, meaning it might complete its life cycle in one year or return for multiple seasons. Like other forbs, it lacks the woody stems of shrubs and trees, instead producing soft, herbaceous growth.
You might occasionally see this plant listed under its scientific synonym, Cerastium sericeum S. Watson, in older botanical references.
Where Does Nodding Chickweed Grow?
This native wildflower has a limited natural range, currently documented in just two southwestern states: Arizona and New Mexico. As a plant native to the lower 48 states, it represents part of our region’s natural botanical heritage.
The Challenge with This Native Beauty
Here’s where things get interesting (and a bit frustrating for us plant enthusiasts): nodding chickweed is one of those native species that seems to fly completely under the radar. There’s remarkably little information available about its specific growing requirements, appearance, or garden performance.
This scarcity of information presents both a challenge and an opportunity for native plant gardeners:
- Seeds or plants may be extremely difficult to source commercially
- Growing requirements remain largely undocumented
- Garden performance and aesthetic value are unknown
- Wildlife and pollinator benefits haven’t been well-studied
Should You Try Growing Nodding Chickweed?
The honest answer is: it depends on your gardening goals and tolerance for experimentation. If you’re someone who loves the idea of growing truly uncommon native plants and doesn’t mind a bit of trial and error, this could be an interesting addition to a native plant collection.
However, if you’re looking for reliable performers with known garden value, you might want to consider other native alternatives that are better documented and more readily available.
Better-Known Native Alternatives
While we celebrate the diversity of our native flora, including lesser-known species like nodding chickweed, you might also consider these well-documented southwestern natives:
- Desert marigold (Baileya multiradiata)
- Blanket flower (Gaillardia species)
- Penstemon species
- Native lupines
The Bottom Line
Nodding chickweed represents the fascinating diversity of our native plant communities, even if we don’t know much about growing it in gardens yet. Sometimes the most intriguing plants are the ones that keep a few secrets! If you do encounter this species in the wild or happen to find seeds available, approach it as an adventure in native plant gardening – just don’t expect a lot of guidance along the way.
Have you ever grown an obscure native plant? The world of native gardening is full of these delightful mysteries waiting to be better understood.
