CA R YOPH YL LA CEA E. 393 



5. GYPSOPHILA L. 



Mostly glabrous and glaucous herbs, with narrow leaves, and small numerous 

 axillary or paniculate flowers. Calyx 5-toothed, 5-nerved, bractless. Petals 5, 

 their claws narrow. Stamens 10; styles 2. Capsule dehiscent by 4 valves. Seeds 

 reniform, laterally attached; embryo coiled. [Greek, in allusion to the supposed 

 preference of some species for gypsum soils.] About 60 species, natives of Europe, 

 Asia and northern Africa. 



Annual, diffuse; leaves narrowly linear; flowers axillary on filiform peduncles. 



i. G. muralts. 

 Erect perennial ; leaves lanceolate ; flowers paniculate. 2. G. paniculata. 



1. Gypsophila muralis L. Low GYPSOPHYLL. (I. F. f. 1463.) Annual, 

 diffuse, slender, much branched, smooth, or slightly rough at the base, 1-2 dm. 

 high. Leaves narrowly linear or subulate, attenuate at each end, 6-20 mm. long, 

 0.5-1 mm. wide; peduncles 6-20 mm. long; flowers purplish, 3-4 mm. broad; 

 calyx turbinate, the teeth rounded; petals crenate or emarginate, much exceeding 

 the calyx; pod about 4 mm. long, slightly longer than the calyx. In waste places, 

 Me. and Ont. to Mich., Mass., N. Y. and N. J. Adventive or naturalized from 

 Europe. June-Sept. 



2. Gypsophila paniculata L. TALL GYPSOPHYLL. (I. F. f. 1464.) Per- 

 ennial; glabrous, or sometimes pubescent below, 3-6 dm. tall. Leaves lanceolate, 

 those of the 2m 2 cm. long or more, 4-8 mm. wide, acuminate at the apex, nar- 

 rowed at the base, those of the branches much smaller; flowers 3-4 mm. broad, in 

 panicled cymes; calyx campanulate, 2 mm. high, deeply 5-lobed, the segments 

 with scarious margins; petals white or pink, slightly emarginate, longer than the 

 calyx. Manitoba and Neb. Fugitive from northern Europe or Asia. Summer. 



6. TUNICA Adans. 



Rigid and slender mainly perennial herbs, with small glomerate panicled or 

 solitary flowers, bracted at the base. Calyx top-shaped or campanulate, 5-toothed, 

 5 -15 -nerved. Petals 5, long-clawed, the limb emarginate or bifid. Stamens lo. 

 Styles 2. Capsule dehiscent by 4 apical teeth or valves. Seeds compressed, lat- 

 erally attached; embryo excentric. [Latin, a cloak, in allusion to the bracts at the 

 base of the calyx.] About 20 species, natives of southern Europe and western 

 Asia. 



i. Tunica Saxifraga (L.) Scop. SAXIFRAGE PINK. (I. F. f. 1465.) Per- 

 ennial, tufted, sparsely pubescent or glabrous; stems 1-2 cm. long, terete. Leaves 

 linear-subulate, erect, acute, 6-8 mm. long, less than i mm. wide, connate at the 

 base, the lower imbricated, the upper distant; flowers panicled, about 6 mm. broad, 

 pink or purple; calyx 5 -ribbed, twice the length of the scarious-margined acute 

 bracts. Roadsides, Flushing, Long Island, N. Y., and London, Ont. Adventive 

 from Europe. Summer. 



7. S A PON ARIA L. 



Herbs, mostly with broad leaves and large flowers. Calyx 5-toothed, obscurely 

 nerved. Petals 5, long-clawed. Stamens 10. Ovary i-celled or incompletely 

 2-4-celled; styles 2. Capsule dehiscent by 4 short apical teeth or valves. [Latin, 

 soap; the juices abound in saponin.] About 35 species, natives of Europe, Asia and 

 northern Africa. 



i. Saponaria officinalis L. SOAPWORT. BOUNCING BET. (I. F. f. 1466.) 

 Perennial, glabrous, erect, leafy, 3-6 dm. high. Leaves orate or oval, 5-8 cm. 

 long, 3-5 -ribbed, acute, narrowed into a broad short petiole; flowers pink or whit- 

 ish, about 2.5 cm. broad, in dense terminal corymbs, with numerous small lanceo- 

 late floral leaves; calyx tubular, 1.5-2 cm. long; petals obcordate with a scale at 

 the base of the blade; pod narrowly oblong, shorter than the calyx. Roadsides and 

 waste places, common in most districts, spreading by underground stolons. Natu- 

 ralized from Europe. Flowers sometimes double. Summer. 



8. VACCARIA Medic. 



Annual glabrous and glaucous erect branching herbs, with clasping ovate or 

 ovate lanceolate acute leaves, and rather small red or pink slender-pedicelled 



