136 The Ohio Naturalist. [Vol.X, No. 5, 



A SUPPLEMENTARY DESCRIPTION OF CERASTIUM 

 ARVENSE WEBBII JENNINGS. 



Otto E. Jennings. 



In the Ohio Naturalist, about a year ago, the writer 

 described as new var. Webhii of Cerastium arvense L. Recently 

 my friend, Mr. Roscoe J. Webb, of Garrettsville, Ohio, for whom 

 the variety was named, has sent to us for further examination 

 some excellent specimens of the plant, collected by him on 

 June 25, 1909, at the type locality, along the gorge of the Rocky 

 River, Cuyahoga County, Ohio. The type specimens lacked 

 ripe pods and the original description was in that respect defi- 

 cient, but in the specimens now at hand the inflorescence con- 

 tains all stages from flower buds to dehisced pods and it is now 

 possible to give a more complete description of the variety, 

 as follows: 



Cerastium arvense Wehbii Jennings. vSimilar or somewhat 

 taller than varieties ohlongijoliuni and villosum, our specimens 

 now ranging from about 3.5 to 5 dm. in height, the larger plants 

 often decumbent for a distance of 1 dm. or more at the base, 

 more or less densely pubsecent, especially above, where there is 

 often much glandular pubescence. Leaves oblong-lanceolate 

 below to ovate-lanceolate above, the latter attaining a size of 1.2 

 cm. wide b}' 6 cm. long, all sub-acute to obtuse and somewhat 

 paler below, the leaves of the sterile shoots being somewhat 

 smaller and varying from oblong-lanceolate to linear-elliptic, the 

 floral bracts being similar to the sepals in shape and size, and 

 viscid-pubescent. Cyme strict to rather widely branched at 

 maturity; pedicels stiff, 1 to 4 cm. long, at the apex abruptly bent 

 so that the pod becomes more or less cernuous. Sepals narrowly 

 oval, acute to somewhat obtuse, white-scarious margined, about 

 2 mm. wide by 6 mm. long. Petals about 1 cm. long by 5 mm. 

 wide, obovate, the apex emarginate to the depth of about 1.5 mm. 

 Pods cylindric, 2.5 to 3 mm. in diameter, 1 to 1.5 cm. long, 

 arcuate with the apex curved upwards, yellowish white, lustrous, 

 the teeth in dehiscence erect, about 1 mm. long, narrowly 

 acuminate. Seeds reddish-brown, flattened-globose-reniform 

 with a very narrow sinus, quite roughly papillose, about 0.8 mm. 

 in diameter. 



This variety, as exemplified by the specimens now at hand, 

 has the longer pods of variety ohlongifoliiim with the more dense 

 villous-pubescence of villosum and is almost as densely viscid- 

 pubescent as is the typical Cerastium vulgatum L. In fact, it 

 almost appears as though there might be here a case of hybridism, 

 the intergradation being so complete. 



Carnegie Museum, January, 1910. 



Date of Publication, March 2, 1910. 



