`Stellaria` means `like a star` referring to the small, white flowers with five deeply lobed petals. The specific epithet `media` means `middle,` like the median strip of the highway, and refers to the fact that the stems have a single longitudinal line of hairs. If the stems are broken gently and pulled apart, they reveal an elastic core which, rumor has it, small chicks will strangle on. Hence, the name `chickweed.`