Stellaria.] CARYOPHYLLE^. 95 



4 



ed. 2. p. 433.— S. lanceolata. Torrey, Fl. of Un. SL v. 1. p. 453. (non Poiret et De Cand.) 

 Spergulastrum lanceolatum. MicL Am. v, I, p, 275. — Micropetalum lanceolatum. Pers. 

 Syn. PL V. \. p, 320. 



fi, panicula minus foliosa, rarius bracteata, 



y. nana; omnibus partibus minoribus. 



Hab. a. Fort Norman, in lat. 65°, Dr. Richardson. /3. Throughout Canada, and as far as the Arctic 

 Circle, y. On the Rocky Mountains, hetneen lat. 52° and 56°. Dnimmond.~~U I am correct in keeping 

 this plant distinct from the preceding, the name of Professor Bigelow is what ouglit to be adopted. I 

 possess authentic specimens of his S, bcrealis from Dr. Buott, and am certain that it exactly corresponds 

 M-ith my «. Such, too, is the case with the plant of Dr. Torrey, and I presume it is equally the Sper/pi- 

 lastrum lanceolatum of Michaux. Its petals are sometimes wanting. When the panicles are much elongated, 

 bractejK take the place of leaves; and then, especially if tlie leaves are more narrow than usual, the plant 

 can hardly be distinguished from some states of S. longifulia. Nor can it be concealed that it bears 

 a close affinity with our S. graminea, being, most probably, what is intended under that name by 

 Chamisso; whilst the variety he mentions with scabrous stems, " qualem in regionibus sylvatiois inter 

 54-64 gradum lat, bor. observavit Richardson " I have referred to S. longifiUu. The dwarf state from the 

 Rocky Mountains, I have had the greatest difficulty in distinguishing from Larhrea uliginosa^ for assuredly 

 the stamens and corolla are perigynous; but the leaves are less ovate, the flowers less crowded at the top 

 of the branches, the petals and styles longer. Dr. Richardson had already observed, under bis S. longifoUa, 

 " flores magnitudine Stellariw uUginosm (Smii/i) <juaj quotiue non raro tetragyna." 



3. S. lo7igipes ; subflaccida glabeirima glauca, foliis lineari-subulatis pateiUibus, petlun- 

 culis terminalibus dichotome ramosis, bracteis mcmbranaccis, pedicellis valde elongatis, 

 petalis late obovatis profunde bifidis calyce obtuso obscure trinervi paulo longioribus. 

 Goldle m Edin. Phil. Jouni. Apr, 1822. De Cand, Prodr. v* 1. p, 400. 



/3. minor; caulibus foliisque strictioribus. 



Planta tota glaberriraa. Caules in a., subpatentes, flaccidi, pedales et ultra, in jS. spithama*!, baai decum- 

 bentes, dein erccti, subtetragoni, ramosi. Folia glauco-viridia, sesqiiiunciam ad duas uncias longa, late 

 lineari-subulata, seu e basi latiore sensim acuminata, integerrima, marglne subcartilaginea, patentia, in /3. 

 paulo latiora magisque erecto-patentia. Pedunculi termiuales, aphylli, dichotome ramosi, ad dichotomias 

 bracteati, bracteis raajusculis, late ovatis, albo-membranaccis, dorso solummodo viridibus. Flores conspicui, 

 albi. Sepala elliptico-ovata, obtusa, viridia, glauccscentia, obscure trinervia, margine lato-membranacea. 

 Petala calyce paulo lougiora, late obovata, alba, profunde bifida. AnthercB fuscescentes. Capsula ovato- 

 oblono-a, nigra, vel intense fusca, nitida, calycem paulo excedcns, usque ad medium trivalvis, valvis raro 

 bifidis. Semina parva, subrotunda, fusca. 



Hab. Woods near Lake Ontario; Mr. Goldie; thence to the Mackenzie River and Bear Lake. JDr, 

 Richardson ; I>7i(Vimond. — The present Stellaria is one, (along with 4, 5, and 6,) of a series of the genus, 

 respecting which I scarcely know whether they should constitute species or rather be described as varieties. 

 Characters, indeed, may easily be detected for defining the extreme appearances of them: but there we^ 

 amon"- the numerous specimens which Dr. Richardson's and Mr. Drummoud's rich collection can boast, 

 intermediate states which I cannot satisfactorily refer to any. All are distiiignished by their rigid erect 

 habit; (except the var. a. of the present species,) by leaves, broad at the base, gradually tapering upwards, 

 by tbeir remarkable glossiness, unless when any portion, or the whole of them, be i^laucous; by their 

 obscurely-nerved calyx ; and by the large, deep, rich, brown, or black, very glossy, capsule, which, beiog 

 longer than tbe calyx, forms a striking contrast with the pale hue of the rest of the plant. Our present 

 species is distinguished by a larger size than the rest, by its more distant, longer leaves, and e$pecially by the 

 igreat length of the pedicels of its flower and fruit. Nevertheless, the plants of a humbler growth border up«D 



