A small, trailing herb with pairs of pointed leaves. A plant that looks like a weed. A plant that is useful. The leaves and stems are edible and have a mild, spinach-like flavour. They can be eaten raw in salads or cooked as a green vegetable. It is very similar to introduced chickweed (Stellaria media) but has slightly larger flowers. A native that is easy to mistake for an invader. The leaves are arranged in opposite pairs along the stem, each pair at right angles to the pair below. The leaves are pointed and bright green. The stems are slender and trailing, rooting at the nodes, forming loose mats. A plant that spreads without asking permission. The flowers are small and white, with five petals that are deeply divided, making them look like ten petals. They appear in spring and summer, followed by small, capsule-like fruits containing the seeds. A flower that pretends to have more petals than it does. Native chickweed is very similar to the introduced chickweed (Stellaria media) that is common in gardens and lawns. The native species has slightly larger flowers and is less aggressive. It is found in damp, open areas, often in native grassland and at forest margins. A plant that minds its own business. To find native chickweed is to search the damp margins of forests and streams. Look for the trailing mats of pointed leaves, the small, star-shaped white flowers. It is a humble plant, but it is useful. A handful of leaves can add a mild, spinach-like flavour to a salad or a soup. The forest margin is damp. The chickweed trails between the grasses, white stars scattered in the green. Most people walk past without noticing. The chickweed does not mind. It was not trying to be noticed. It was just growing where the ground stays wet.