Chickweed is a non-native annual with abundant green foliage and small white flowers. It normally blooms from February to April, but bloomtime sometimes extends through the summer if conditions are favorable. The flowers are found in leaf axils and each have 5 petals that are cleft and hence really look like 10; this apparent doubling is characteristic of the Pink family. The mildly succulent leaves appear opposite along the stems and are ovate, 1/2 to 1 1/2 inches long. The stems are weak and trail along the ground, so as to give the plant the look of a groundcover.

These plants "sleep"; in other words, each night the leaves fold over to protect the buds and new shoots. Chickweed is an edible plant - useful in salads - and also has a number of medicinal propoerties, usually in its application as a topical application.

The genus name Stellaria means "star", referring to the 5-petalled flowers. The species name media means "in the middle", which relates to this species' size being positioned between two related plants. It is a native of Eurasia.