Perennial of the Caryophyllaceae family, Cerastium arvense is a species with a wide Eurasian and North American distribution, present in much of Europe, temperate Asia, and introduced in North America. It colonizes dry lawns, embankments, lean meadows, roadsides, and sunny rocks, from the plains up to about 2,500 meters in altitude.
It forms loose and spreading tufts, slightly turf-like, from 10 to 30 centimeters in height. The stems are thin, ascending, slightly pubescent. The leaves are narrow, linear to lanceolate, medium green to gray-green, arranged in opposite pairs along the stems.
The flowers are pure white, significantly larger than those of most other cerastiums, with five deeply bilobed petals, giving them a ten-petaled appearance. They are borne in loose and open cymes, and produced in such great quantity at the peak of flowering that the plant can be entirely covered by its flowers. The bright white of the petals in full sun creates a very visible mass effect, even from a distance in a rock garden or on an embankment.
In its natural habitat, flowering extends from April to July depending on altitude and latitude. In cultivation, it generally blooms from April to June.
It thrives in full sun, in well-drained soil, poor to moderately rich. Hardy and undemanding, it tolerates summer drought and is perfectly suited to rock gardens, walls, and sunny borders.