About Cerastium tomentosum L.
Cerastium tomentosum L. is an evergreen perennial herbaceous plant with creeping offshoots. It typically grows 15 to 30 centimeters tall, and rarely reaches up to 45 centimeters. The entire plant is covered in dense hair. Its leaves grow up to 30 millimeters long, shaped linear to lanceolate. Leaves are covered with silky, silvery, frizzy, entangled hairs that form a layer that looks like whitish felting. Its inflorescences hold up to 15 flowers. The calyx measures 5 to 7 millimeters long. The petals are white and twice the length of the calyx. The teeth of the plant's capsule bend slightly outwards. In the northern hemisphere, its flowering period runs from May to July, though it may bloom at other times of the year. This species is native to Italy, ranging from the central and southern Apennine Mountains to Sicily. It has naturalized in other parts of Europe and in North America, where it often grows subspontaneously. It is a popular cultivated ornamental plant grown in gardens around the world. A perennial horticultural plant suited for rocky areas, it forms dense silver carpets of growth. It has few growing requirements: it prefers poor, gravel-rich, well-drained soil and a sunny location. It spreads easily via its rhizomes.
