CARYOPHYLLACEAE 425 



2. VACCARIA Medic. 

 Annual caulescent herbs, with glabrous and glaucous foliage. Leaves opposite : blades 

 narrow, often thickish, entire, clasping. Flowers in dichotomous cymes. Calyx pedi- 

 celled, without an involucre of bractlets : tube somewhat inflated, 5-angled : lobes 5, very 

 short. Petals 5, surpassing the calyx, witJiout appendages, with claws. Stamens 10 : fila- 

 ments slender. Ovary 1-celled : styles 2. Capsule opening by 4 apical tooth-like valves. 

 Seeds laterally attached. Embryo slightly curved. 



1. Vaccaria Vaccina (L. 1 Britton. Foliage glaucous. Stems erect, 3-9 dm. tall, 

 corymbose above : leaf-blades lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate or broadest al)ove the middle 

 on the lower part of the stem, acute, connate, entire : calyx oblong to ovoid, 1-1.5 cm. long, 

 5-angled, becoming 5-winged at maturity : petals without appendages at the base of the 

 erose rose-colored blades: capsules 5-10 inm. long. 



In fields and waste places, Ontario to British Columbia, Florida and Texas. Summer. Cow-herb. 



3. SAPONARIA L. 



Annual or perennial caulescent herbs, often with elongated rootstocks. Leaves oppo- 

 site : blades flat, mainly sessile. Flowers perfect, in close cymes. Calyx short-pedicelled : 

 tube terete, somewhat elongated : lobes 5, relatively short. Petals 5, with long claws and 

 notched blades. Stamens 10 : filaments slender. Ovary 1-celled or incompletely 2-4-celled : 

 styles 2. Capsules opening by 4 apical tooth-like valves. 



1. Saponaria ofScinalis L. Perennial, stout, nearly glabrous, bright green. Stem 

 erect or usually decuml)ent, 3-9 dm. long, becoming woody below, enlarged at the nodes, 

 simple or branched above, the internodes lengthening upwards : leaf-blades elliptic or 

 lanceolate, leathery, 3-10 cm. long, obtuse or acute, ciliate, 3-nerved, sessile or nearly so : 

 flowers often double, in terminal or axillary, more or less corymbed clusters: calyx 

 cylindric, terete, 2-2.5 cm. long, at length somewhat inflated ; lobes triangular, acute or 

 short-acuminate, whitish-margined: pedicels 0.5-1 cm. long, bearing 2 scales: petals 

 spatulate; blades 1.5 cm. long, notched at the apex, shorter than the claws, each furnished 

 with an appendage at the base : stamens exserted, their tips spreading : capsules short- 

 stalked, conic, 1-1.5 cm. long, smooth and glabrous. 



On river banks and roadsides, common in eastern North America. Naturalized from Europe. 

 Summer and fall. Bouncing Bet. Soapwort. Hedcje Pink. 



4. SILENE L. 



Annual or perennial herbs, with simple or matted stems. Leaves opposite or whorled : 

 blades usually flat, entire. Flowers perfect, often showy, in terminal cymes, or solitary. 

 Calyx often pedicelled : tube more or less inflated, 10-many -nerved : lobes short, erect or 

 spreading. Petals 5, usually red, pink or white : claws mostly appendaged at the top : 

 blades variously cleft or divided, or rarely entire. Stamens 10. Ovary 1-celled or in- 

 completely 2-4-celled : styles 3, or rarely 4. Capsule opening by 6 or rarely 3 apical 

 tooth-like valves. 



Annual or biennial. 



Inflorescence simple. 1. ,S. Anglica. 



Inflorescence branched. 



Flowers in dichotomous racemes. 2. S. dichotoma. 



Flowers in dichotomous cymes. 



Foliage pubescent : stem viscid. 3. *'. noctiflora. 



Foliage glabrous, sometimes glutinous about the nodes of the stem. 4. S. anUrrhina. 



Perennial. 



Calyx inflated. 



Leaves in whorls of 4's : petals laciniately cleft ; appendages wanting. .5. S. stdlata. 



Leaves opposite: petals 2-eleft ; appendages present. 6. S. alba. 



Calyx merely filled by the capsules. 

 Corolla white or pink. 



Blades of the petals erose. 7. ^. CaroUniana. 



Blades of the petals fringed or dichotoraously cleft. 



Stems with short rigid hairs : calyx aljoutl cm. long. 8. S. ovata. 



Stems with villous pubescence : calyx about 2.5 cm. long. 9. S. Bahlwinii. 



Corolla scarlet or crimson. 

 * Petals 2-lobed. 



Stems finely pubescent : upper stem-leaves Avith blades several times 



longer than broad. 10. >'. Virgin icu. 



Stems villous : upper stem-leaves with blades usually less than twice as 



long as broad. " 11. S'. rotundifolia. 



