Tribe II. ALSINEAE. Sepals distinct or nearly so, imbricated in the bud.
Petals when present without claws, mostly imbricated, and with the
stamens inserted at the base of the sessile ovary, or into a little
disk. Pod splitting into valves or teeth several--many-seeded. Stamens
opposite the sepals, when not more in number.--Low herbs.
[*] Stipules none.
[+] Styles opposite the sepals, or, when fewer, opposite those which are
exterior in the bud.
[++] Pod short, splitting into as many valves as styles; valves often
bifid or 2-parted.
6. Arenaria. Petals entire. Styles usually 3. Valves of the pod entire,
bifid or 2-parted.
7. Stellaria. Petals 2-cleft or none. Styles usually 3. Valves bifid or
2-parted.
[++][++] Pod cylindrical, dehiscent by twice as many equal teeth as
styles.
8. Holosteum. Petals denticulate or notched. Styles usually 3. Seeds
fixed by the face.
9. Cerastium. Petals notched or 2-cleft. Styles 5 or 4. Seeds fixed
edgewise.
[+][+] Styles alternate with the sepals. Stamens as many, or twice as
many.
10. Sagina. Petals 4 or 5, entire, or none. Styles 4 or 5. Pod short,
4--5-valved.
[*][*] Stipules present. Pod short.
11. Buda. Styles 3. Pod 3-valved. Leaves opposite.
12. Spergula. Styles 5. Valves of the pod opposite the sepals. Leaves
whorled.
1. DIANTHUS, L. PINK. CARNATION.
Calyx cylindrical, nerved or striate, 5-toothed, subtended by 2 or
more imbricated bractlets. Stamens 10. Styles 2. Pod 1-celled,
4-valved at the apex. Seeds flattish on the back; embryo scarcely
curved.--Ornamental plants, of well-known aspect and value in
cultivation. (Name from [Greek: Dio/s], _of Jupiter_, and [Greek:
a)/nthos] _flower_, i.e., Jove's own flower.)
D. ARMERIA, L. (DEPTFORD PINK.) Annual; flowers clustered; bractlets of
the calyx and _bracts lance-awl-form_, herbaceous, downy, as long as the
tube; leaves linear, _hairy_; petals small, rose-color with white dots,
crenate.--Fields, etc., eastward. July. (Adv. from Eu.)
D. PROLIFER, L. Annual, _smooth_, slender; flowers clustered; _bractlets
ovate, dry_, concealing the calyx; leaves few, narrow, linear, erect;
petals small, pink.--N. J. and E. Penn. (Adv. from Eu.)
D. DELTOIDES, L. (MAIDEN PINK.) Perennial; leaves short, narrowly
lanceolate, downy and roughish; flowers solitary; bracts ovate, half as
long as the tube; petals rose-color or white, toothed.--Mich., _L. H.
Bailey_. (Nat. from Eu.)
D. BARBATUS, L. (SWEET WILLIAM.) Perennial; flowers fascicled; leaves
large, lanceolate; bracts filiform-attenuate, equalling the
calyx.--Sparingly spontaneous. (Adv. from Eu.)
2. GYPSOPHILA, L.
Calyx narrowly top shaped or campanulate, 5-nerved, 5-toothed, naked at
base. Petals not crowned. Stamens 10. Styles 2. Pod 1-celled, 4-valved
at the apex, sessile.--Slender glaucous annuals or perennials, with
numerous small flowers. (Name from [Greek: gy/psos], _gypsum_, and
[Greek: philei~n], _to love_.)
G. MURALIS, L. Annual, much branched; leaves very narrowly linear;
flowers on slender pedicels, solitary in the forks; calyx turbinate, the
teeth short, obtuse; petals purplish, crenate or emarginate.--Sparingly
naturalized. (Nat. from Eu.)
3. SAPONARIA, L.
Calyx narrowly ovoid or oblong, 5-toothed, obscurely nerved, naked.
Stamens 10. Styles 2. Pod 1-celled, or incompletely 2--4-celled at base,
4-toothed at the apex.--Coarse annuals or perennial, with large flowers.
(Name from _sapo_, soap, the mucilaginous juice forming a lather with
water.)
S. OFFICINALIS, L. (SOAPWORT. BOUNCING BET.) Flowers in corymbed
clusters; calyx terete; petals crowned with an appendage at the top of
the claw; leaves oval-lanceolate.--Roadsides, etc. July--Sept.--A stout
perennial, with large rose-colored flowers, commonly double. (Adv. from
Eu.)
S. VACCARIA, L. Annual, glabrous; flowers in corymbed cymes; calyx
5-angled, enlarged and wing-angled in fruit; petals pale red,
not crowned; leaves ovate-lanceolate. (Vaccaria vulgaris,
_Host._)--Occasionally spontaneous. (Adv. from Eu.)
4. SILENE, L. CATCHFLY. CAMPION.
Calyx 5-toothed, 10--many-nerved, naked at the base. Stamens 10. Styles
3, rarely 4. Pod 1-celled, sometimes 3-celled at least at the base,
opening by 3 or 6 teeth at the apex.--Flowers solitary or in cymes.
Petals mostly crowned with a scale at the base of the blade. (Name from
[Greek: si/alon], _saliva_, from the viscid exudation on the stems and
calyx of many species. The English name _Catchfly_ alludes to the same
peculiarity.)
[*] _Dwarf, alpine, tufted, smooth, perennial; flowering shoots
1-flowered._
1. S. acaulis, L. (MOSS CAMPION.) Tufted like a moss (1--2' high);
leaves linear, crowded; flowers almost sessile, or rarely on a naked
peduncle; petals purple or rarely white, notched or entire,
crowned.--Alpine summits of the White Mountains, N. H. July. (Eu.)
[*][*] _Calyx bladdery-inflated; perennial; flowers panicled, white, in
summer._
2 S. Stellata, Ait. (STARRY CAMPION.) _Leaves in whorls of 4,
ovate-lanceolate_, taper-pointed; calyx bell-shaped; _petals cut into a
fringe, crownless_.--Wooded banks, R. I. to Minn., and southward.--Stem
3 deg. high, with a large and open pyramidal panicle. Corolla 3/4' broad.
3. S. nivea, Otth. _Leaves opposite, lanceolate or oblong_,
taper-pointed; calyx oblong; _petals wedge-form, 2-cleft, minutely
crowned_.--Penn. to Iowa and Minn.; rare.--Stem 1--2 deg. high, almost
smooth. Flowers few, larger than in the last.
S. CUCUBALUS, Wibel. (BLADDER CAMPION.) _Glaucous; leaves opposite,
ovate-lanceolate; calyx globular, much inflated_, elegantly veined;
petals 2-cleft, nearly crownless. (S. inflata, _Smith_.)--Fields and
roadsides, E. New Eng. to Ill.--A foot high. Flowers loosely cymose.
(Nat. from Eu.)
[*][*][*] _Calyx elongated or club-shaped, not inflated except by the
enlarging pod; flowers cymose or clustered; perennial, pubescent with
viscid hairs, especially the calyx; petals crowned, red or rose-color._
4. S. Pennsylvanica, Michx. (WILD PINK.) Stems low (4--8'); root-leaves
narrowly spatulate, nearly glabrous, tapering into hairy petioles;
_stem-leaves_ (2 or 3 pairs) _lanceolate; flowers clustered_,
short-stalked; calyx club-shaped; _petals wedge-form, slightly notched
and eroded, pink_.--Gravelly places, E. New Eng. to N. Y., Ky., and
southward. April--June.
5. S. Virginica, L. (FIRE PINK. CATCHFLY.) Steins slender (1--2 deg. high);
_leaves thin, spatulate, or the upper oblong-lanceolate; flowers few and
loosely cymose_, peduncled; calyx oblong-cylindrical, soon obconical;
_petals oblong, 2-cleft, deep crimson_; the limb 1' long.--Open woods,
western N. Y. to Minn., and southward. June--Aug.
6. S. regia, Sims. (ROYAL CATCHFLY.) Stem roughish, erect (3--4 deg. high);
_leaves thickish, ovate-lanceolate_, acute; _flowers numerous,
short-stalked_, in clusters, forming a strict panicle; calyx
ovoid-club-shaped in fruit; _petals spatulate-lanceolate, mostly
undivided, deep scarlet_.--Prairies, Ohio to Mo., and southward. July.
7. S. rotundifolia, Nutt. (ROUND-LEAVED CATCHFLY.) Viscid-hairy; stems
weak, branched, decumbent (2 deg. long); _leaves thin, round, abruptly
pointed_, the lower obovate; flowers few, loosely cymose, stalked; calyx
elongated; _petals 2-cleft and cut-toothed, deep scarlet_.--Shaded banks
of the Ohio, and in Ky. June--Aug.--Leaves and flowers large.
[*][*][*][*] _Calyx not inflated, except by the enlarging pod; annuals._
[+] _Glabrous, a portion of each joint of the stem glutinous; flowers
pink._
8. S. antirrhina, L. (SLEEPY C.) Stem slender (8--30' high); _leaves
lanceolate or linear_; flowers small, paniculate; _calyx ovoid_; petals
obcordate, crowned, opening transiently in sunshine.--Dry soil; common
in waste places. June--Sept.
S. ARMERIA, L. (SWEET-WILLIAM CATCHFLY.) Glaucous; _leaves
ovate-lanceolate_; flowers in flat cymes, open in sunshine; _calyx
club-shaped_; petals notched, crowned with awl-shaped scales.--Escaped
from gardens; rare. (Adv. from Eu.)
[+][+] _Viscid-pubescent; flowers white or nearly so, opening at night,
sweet-scented._
S. NOCTURNA, L. (NIGHT C.) Leaves short, the lower spatulate, the upper
linear; _flowers small, alternate in a 1-sided spike_; petals
2-parted.--Introduced sparingly in Pa., according to _Schweinitz_. (Adv.
from Eu.)
S. NOCTIFLORA, L. (NIGHT-FLOWERING C.) _Viscid-hairy_, tall (1--3 deg.
high); lower leaves large and spatulate, the upper lanceolate; _flowers
few, peduncled_; calyx-tube elongated (over 1' long), soon ovoid, with
awl-shaped teeth; petals rather large, 2-parted, crowned.--Cultivated
grounds.
5. LYCHNIS, Tourn. COCKLE.
Styles 5, rarely 4, and pod opening by as many or twice as many teeth;
otherwise nearly as in Silene. Calyx in one species with leaf-like
lobes. (Ancient Greek name for a scarlet or flame-colored species, from
[Greek: ly/chnos], _a light_ or _lamp_.)
L. VESPERTINA, Sibth. (EVENING L.) Biennial, usually dioecious,
_viscid-pubescent_, in foliage, etc., like Silene noctiflora; but 5
styles, calyx much shorter (7--9'' long), with lance-linear teeth, and
_flowers white_ or pinkish, opening at evening.--Cult. or waste grounds;
scarce. (Adv. from En.)
L. DIURNA, Sibth. (RED LYCHNIS.) Resembling L. vespertina, but less
viscid, the calyx usually shorter (4--6'' long), and the flowers red,
opening in the morning.--Rarely spontaneous. (Adv. from Eu.)
L. GITHAGO, Lam. (CORN COCKLE.) Annual, clothed with long soft appressed
hairs; flowers long-peduncled; _calyx-lobes similar to the long and
linear leaves_, surpassing the broad and crownless _purple-red petals_,
falling off in fruit. (Agrostemma Githago, _L._)--In wheat-fields. (Adv.
from Eu.)
L. FLOS-CUCULI, L. (RAGGED ROBIN.) Perennial, erect, slightly downy
below, viscid above; leaves narrowly lanceolate; flowers in loose
panicles; calyx short, glabrous; petals red, 4-lobed, lobes
linear.--Moist or marshy places; New Eng. and N. Y. (Adv. from Eu.)
6. ARENARIA, L. SANDWORT.
Sepals 5. Petals 5, entire, sometimes barely notched, rarely wanting.
Stamens 10. Styles 3, rarely more or fewer, opposite as many sepals. Pod
short, splitting into as many or twice as many valves as there are
styles, few--many-seeded.--Low, usually tufted herbs, with sessile
exstipulate leaves and small white flowers. (Name from _arena_, sand, in
which many of the species grow.)--The following sections are by many
botanists taken for genera.
Sec. 1. ARENARIA proper. _Pod splitting wholly or part-way down into 3 or
at length into 6 valves; seeds many, naked at the hilum._
A. SERPYLLIFOLIA, L. (THYME-LEAVED SANDWORT.) Diffusely branched,
roughish (2--6' high); leaves ovate, acute, small; cymes leafy; sepals
lanceolate, pointed, 3--5-nerved, about equalling the petals and
6-toothed pod.--A low annual; sandy waste places. June--Aug. (Nat. from
Eu.)
Sec. 2. ALSINE. _Pod splitting to the base into 3 entire valves; seeds
many, usually rough, naked at the hilum; flowers solitary and terminal
or cymose; root in our species perennial, except in n. 4._
[*] _Leaves small, rigid, awl-shaped or bristle-shaped._
1. A. Caroliniana, Walt. (PINE-BARREN S.) Densely tufted from a deep
perpendicular root; _leaves closely imbricated_, but spreading,
_awl-shaped, short, channelled_; branches naked and minutely glandular
above, several-flowered; _sepals obtuse_, ovate, shorter than the pod.
(A. squarrosa, _Michx._)--In pure sand, S. New York, N. J., and
southward along the coast. May--July.
2. A. Michauxii, Hook. f. Erect, or usually diffusely spreading from a
small root, smooth; _leaves slender, between awl-shaped and
bristle-form_, with many others _clustered_ in the axils; cyme diffuse,
naked, many-flowered; _sepals pointed, 3-ribbed_, ovate, as long as the
pod. (A. stricta, _Michx._)--Rocks and dry wooded banks, Vt. and Penn.
to Minn., Mo., and southwestward. July.
3. A. verna, L. Dwarf, alpine, densely matted, glabrous or (var. HIRTA)
somewhat pubescent, 1--3' high; leaves narrowly linear or awl-shaped;
flowers loosely cymose; sepals lanceolate, pointed, 3-nerved, shorter
than the pod.--Smuggler's Notch, Vt. (_Pringle_); north and westward.
(Eu.)
[*][*] _Leaves soft and herbaceous, filiform-linear; petals retuse or
notched._
4. A. patula, Michx. Diffusely branched from the slender root; stems
filiform (6--10' long); branches of the cyme diverging; peduncles long;
_sepals lanceolate, acuminate, 3--5-nerved_. (A. Pitcheri,
_Nutt._)--S. W. Va. to Ky., Ill., Kan., and southward.
5. A. Groenlandica, Spreng. (MOUNTAIN S.) Densely tufted from slender
roots, smooth; flowering stems filiform, erect (2--4' high),
few-flowered; _sepals oblong, obtuse, nerveless_.--Summit of the
Shawangunk, Catskill, and Adirondack Mountains, N. Y., of the higher
mountains of New Eng., and northward; alpine or subalpine. At Bath,
Maine, on river-banks near the sea, and near Middletown, Ct.
June--Aug.--Leaves and peduncles 3--6'' long; flowers large in
proportion. (Addendum)--Arenaria Groenlandica. Found on Mt. Desert
Island, Maine (_Rand_).
Sec. 3. MOEHRINGIA. _Parts of the flower sometimes in fours; pod as in Sec. 1,
but the young ovary 3-celled; seeds rather few, smooth, with a thickish
appendage (strophiole) at the hilum; perennials, with flaccid broadish
leaves._
6. A. lateriflora, L. Sparingly branched, erect, minutely pubescent;
leaves oval or oblong, obtuse (1/2--1' long); peduncles 2--(rarely 3--4)
flowered, soon becoming lateral; sepals oblong, obtuse.--Gravelly
shores, etc., New Eng. to Penn., Mo., Minn., and northward. May, June.
(Eu.)
Sec. 4. AMMADENIA. _Styles, cells of the ovary, and valves of the fleshy
pod 3, rarely 4 or 5; seeds few, smooth, short-beaked at the naked
hilum; disk under the ovary more prominent than usual, glandular,
10-lobed; flowers almost sessile in the axils, sometimes dioecious or
polygamous; root perennial._
7. A. peploides, L. Stems (simple or forking from long rootstocks,
6--10' high) and ovate partly-clasping leaves (8--10'' long) very
fleshy. (Honkenya peploides, _Ehrh._)--Sands of the sea-shore, N. J. to
Maine and northward. June. (Eu.)
7. STELLARIA, L. CHICKWEED. STARWORT.
Sepals 4--5. Petals 4--5, deeply 2-cleft, sometimes none. Stamens 8, 10,
or fewer. Styles 3, rarely 4 or 5, opposite as many sepals. Pod ovoid,
1-celled, opening by twice as many valves as there are styles,
several--many-seeded. Seeds naked.--Flowers (white) solitary or cymose,
terminal, or appearing lateral by the prolongation of the stem from the
upper axils. (Name from _stella_, a star, in allusion to the star-shaped
flowers.)
[*] _Stems spreading, flaccid, marked longitudinally with one or two
pubescent lines; leaves ovate or oblong, 1/2--21/2' long._
S. MEDIA, Smith. (COMMON CHICKWEED.) Annual or nearly so; _lower leaves
on hairy petioles, petals shorter than the calyx_, 2-parted, stamens
3--10.--Everywhere in damp grounds. (Nat. from Eu.)
1. S. pubera, Michx. (GREAT CHICKWEED.) Root perennial; _leaves all
sessile; petals longer than the calyx_, deeply 2-cleft; stamens
10.--Shaded rocks, Penn. to Ind., and southward. May.
[*][*] _Stems erect or spreading; wholly glabrous perennials, with
sessile and narrow or small leaves; stamens usually 10, perigynous._
[+] _Scaly-bracted; petals 2-parted, equalling or surpassing the calyx._
2. S. longifolia, Muhl. (LONG-LEAVED STITCHWORT.) Stem erect, weak,
often with rough angles (8--18' high); _leaves linear, acutish at both
ends, spreading; cymes naked and at length lateral, peduncled_,
many-flowered, the slender _pedicels spreading_; petals 2-parted, longer
than the calyx; seeds smooth.--Grassy places; common, especially
northward. June, July. (Eu.)
3. S. longipes, Goldie. (LONG-STALKED S.) Shining or somewhat glaucous,
very smooth; _leaves ascending, lanceolate or linear-lanceolate_, acute,
_broadest at the base_, rather rigid; cyme terminal, few-flowered, the
long _pedicels strictly erect_; petals longer than the calyx; seeds
smooth.--Maine to Minn., rare; common farther north. (Eu.)
S. GRAMINEA, L. Resembling the last; leaves linear-lanceolate, _broadest
above the base; pedicels widely spreading; seeds_ strongly but minutely
_rugose_.--Becoming rather frequent. (Int. from Eu.)
4. S. uliginosa, Murr. (SWAMP S.) Stems weak, decumbent or diffuse, at
length prolonged, leaving the naked and usually _sessile cymes lateral;
leaves lanceolate or oblong_, veiny; petals and ripe _pods as long as
the calyx; seeds roughened_.--Swamps and rills, Md. to N. Eng., and
northward; rare. (Eu.)
[+][+] _Flowers terminal or in the forks of the stem or of leafy
branches; bracts foliaceous; petals 2-parted, small or often none;
styles 3--4; pod longer than the calyx._
5. S. crassifolia, Ehrh. Stems diffuse or erect, flaccid; _leaves rather
fleshy_, varying from linear-lanceolate to oblong; _petals longer than
the calyx_, or wanting; _seeds rugose-roughened_.--Springy places,
eastern Ky. (_Short_), Ringwood, Ill. (_Vasey_), and northward.
April--June. (Eu.)
6. S. borealis, Bigel. (NORTHERN S.) Stems erect or spreading, flaccid,
many times forked, at length resolved into a leafy cyme; leaves varying
from broadly lanceolate to ovate-oblong; _petals 2--5, shorter than the
calyx, or oftener none_; sepals acute; styles usually 4; _seeds
smooth_.--Shaded or wet places, R. I. to Minn., and northward.
June--Aug.--Var. ALPESTRIS has the later flowers more cymose, and their
bracts small and partly scarious, also the seeds obscurely reticulated
or roughish.--Lake Superior, _Dr. Robbins_. (Eu.) (Addendum)--Stellaria
borealis. In the mountains of northern N. J.
7. S. humifusa, Rottb. Spreading or _creeping_; stems or branches (2'
high) 1--3-flowered; _leaves fleshy, ovate or oblong_ (2--3'' long);
_petals a little longer than the calyx_; seeds smooth.--Northern border
of Maine on the St. John's (_G. L. Goodale_), and high northward. June.
(Eu.) (Addendum) S. humifusa. This species has also been found on
Cranberry Island, near Mt. Desert, Maine, by _J. H. Redfield_.
8. HOLOSTEUM, L. JAGGED CHICKWEED.
Sepals 5. Petals 5, usually jagged or denticulate at the point. Stamens
3--5, rarely 10. Styles mostly 3. Pod ovoid, 1-celled, many-seeded,
opening at the top by 6 teeth. Seeds rough, flattened on the back,
attached by the inner face.--Annuals or biennials, with several (white)
flowers in an umbel, borne on a long terminal peduncle. (Name composed
of [Greek: o(/los], _all_, and [Greek: o)ste/on], _bone_, by
antiphrasis, these plants being soft and tender.)
H. UMBELLATUM, L. Leaves oblong; peduncle and upper part of the stem
glandular-pubescent; pedicels reflexed after flowering.--Hills around
Lancaster, Penn., _Prof. Porter_, and Morris Co., N. J., _C. F. Austin_.
(Nat. from Eu.)
9. CERASTIUM, L. MOUSE-EAR CHICKWEED.
Sepals 5, rarely 4. Petals as many, 2-lobed or cleft, rarely entire.
Stamens twice as many, or fewer. Styles equal in number to the sepals
and opposite them. Pod 1-celled, usually elongated, membranaceous,
opening at the apex by twice as many teeth as there were styles,
many-seeded. Seeds rough.--Flowers white, in terminal cymes. Our species
have the petals 2-cleft or obcordate, the parts of the flower always in
fives, and the exserted pods more or less curved. (Name from [Greek:
ke/ras], _a horn_, alluding to the shape of the pod in many species.)
C. VISCOSUM, L. (MOUSE-EAR CHICKWEED.) _Annual_, hairy and rather
clammy, nearly erect (4--9' high); _leaves ovate or obovate to
oblong-spatulate_; bracts herbaceous; _flowers small_ in close clusters
at first, _pedicels even in fruit not longer than the acute sepals;
petals shorter than the calyx_. (C. vulgatum, _L. Herb._, and _Man._ The
names of this and the next were transposed in the Linnaean herbarium,
which has caused much confusion. They are here applied as originally by
Linnaeus, and by many recent botanists. Others substitute for this the
later name, C. glomeratum, _Thuill._)--Grassy places, eastward and
southward; not common. May--July.--Stamens often 5. (Nat. from Eu.)
C. VULGATUM, L. (LARGER M.) Perennial; stems clammy-hairy, spreading
(6--15' long); _leaves oblong_; upper bracts scarious-margined; _flowers
larger_ (sepals 2--3'' long), at first clustered, the fruiting
_pedicels_ longer, the earlier ones mostly much _longer than the obtuse
sepals_; petals equalling the calyx. (C. viscosum, _L. Herb._, and
_Man._ C. triviale, _Link._)--Fields and copses; common, perhaps
indigenous. May--July. (Nat. from Eu.)
1. C. nutans, Raf. Annual, very clammy-pubescent; stems erect, slender,
grooved, diffusely branched (6--20' high); cyme loose and open,
_many-flowered; leaves oblong-lanceolate_, acute, the lowest spatulate;
peduncles mostly elongated; petals longer than the calyx; _pods nodding
on the stalks, curved upward, thrice the length of the calyx_.--Moist
places, Vt. to Minn., and southward. May--July.
2. C. arvense, L. (FIELD CHICKWEED.) Perennial; stems ascending or
erect, tufted, downy or nearly smooth, slender (4--8' high), naked and
_few--several-flowered_ at the summit; _leaves linear or narrowly
lanceolate_; petals obcordate, more than twice the length of the calyx;
_pods scarcely longer than the calyx_.--Dry or rocky places. May--July.
(Eu.)
Var. oblongifolium, Holl. & Britt. Usually taller, pubescent; leaves
narrowly or broadly oblong or oblong-lanceolate; pod about twice longer
than the calyx. (C. oblongifolium, _Torr._)--Rocky places, N. Y. to
Minn., and southward.--Var. VILLOSUM, Holl. & Britt. Similar but densely
villous-pubescent, and the leaves lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate.--E.
Penn.
10. SAGINA, L. PEARLWORT.
Sepals 4 or 5. Petals 4 or 5, undivided, or often none. Stamens as many
as the sepals, rarely twice as many. Styles as many as the sepals and
alternate with them. Pod many-seeded, 4--5-valved to the base; valves
opposite the sepals.--Little, matted herbs, with thread-like or
awl-shaped leaves, no stipules, and small flowers terminating the stems
or branches; in summer. (Name from _sagina_, fattening; previously
applied to the spurry.)
[*] _Parts of the flower in fours, rarely with some few in fives._
1. S. procumbens, L. Annual or perennial, _depressed or spreading_ on
the ground, glabrous; leaves linear-thread-shaped; _apex of the peduncle
often hooked_ soon after flowering; _petals shorter than the_ broadly
ovate obtuse _sepals_, sometimes none.--Springy places and damp rocks,
coast of Maine to Penn. (Eu.)
2. S. apetala, L. _Annual, erect_ or ascending; leaves ciliate at base
or glabrous; _petals none_ or very small; _peduncles always erect_.--Dry
soil, Mass. to Penn.; scarce, seemingly native? (Eu.)
[*][*] _Parts of the flower in fives, the stamens not rarely 10._
3. S. decumbens, Torr. & Gray. Annual, ascending; the peduncles
and calyx with the margins of the upper leaves _at first
glandular-pubescent_; leaves short, often bristly-tipped, not fascicled
in the axils; peduncles slender; _petals equalling or shorter than the
calyx_; pod oblong-ovate, nearly twice longer than the acutish sepals.
(S. subulata, _Man._, not _Wimm._)--E. Mass., to Ill., Mo., and
southward.--Var. SMITHII, a slender form, _apetalous_, at least in the
later flowers.--Near Philadelphia, in waste ground, and in sandy fields
at Somers' Point, N. J., _C. E. Smith._ Seeds minutely roughened.