176 The Ohio Naturalist [Vol. XIII, No. 8, 



CARYOPHYLLACEAE OF OHIO. 



Amy Williams. 



Herbs often with swollen nodes, with opposite entire leaves^ 

 and hypogynous, bisporangiate or rarely monosporangiate, reg- 

 ular flowers. Sepals 4 or 5, persistent, separate or united into a 

 calyx-ttfbe; petals equal in number to the sepals or occasionally 

 none; stamens twice as many as the sepals or fewer; anthers 

 longitudinally dehiscent ; ovulary usually unilocular with a central 

 placenta, bearing several to many seeds; fruit usually' a mem- 

 branous capsule dehiscent by valves or teeth. 



Synopsis. 



I. Calyx of distinct sepals, or the sepals united only at the base. Petals 

 without claws. Ovulary sessile. Alsinata. 



1. Stipules wanting. 



a. Petals entire, toothed, or slightly notched. Sagina, Arenaria, 

 Moehringia, Holosteum. 



b. Petals 2-cleft. Alsine, Cerastium. 



2. Stipules present. Spergula, Tissa. 



II. Calyx of united sepals, tubular or ovoid. Petals with slender claws. 

 Ovulary stalked. Caryophyllatce. 



1. Calyx ribs at least twice as many as the teeth. Agrostemma. 

 Lychnis, Silene. 



2. Calyx 5-ribbed or 5-nerved or nerveless. Saponaria Vaccaria, 

 Dianthus. 



Key to the Genera. 



1. Calyx of distinct sepals or united only at the base. 2. 



1. Calyx of united sepals, tubular or ovoid. 9. 



2. Stipules none. 4. 



2. Stipules present, scarious. 3. 



3. Styles and capsule valves 5; pod short. Spergula. 



3. Styles and capsule valves 3. Tissa. 



4. Petals deeply 2-cleft or 2-parted, (rarely none), o. 



4. Petals entire or emarginate (rarely none) 6. 



5. Styles 4 or 5; pod cylindrical; dehiscent by twice as many equal teeth 



as styles. Cerastium. 



5. Styles usually 3, rarely 5; pod short, splitting into as many valves as 



styles; valves often 2-parted. Alsine. 



6. Styles 4 or 5, alternate with the .sepals; pod short. Sagina. 



6. Styles usually 3. 7. 



7. Stamens 3 to 5; capsule cylindric; flowers cymose-umbellate; annual. 



Holosteum. 



7. Stamens 8 to 10; capsule ovoid or oblong. S. 



8. Leaves 1 to 13^ inches long, oblong or oval; seeds strophiolatc. 



Ma'hringia. 



8. Leaves less than } 2 inch long or if longer, then linear or subulate; seeds 



not appendaged by a strophiole. Arenaria. 



9. Calyx without .scaly bractlets or small leaves at the base; styles 5 



to 2. 10. 

 9. Calyx with scaly bractlets or small leaves at the base. Dianthus. 

 10. Styles 5 to 3. 11. 



10. Styles 2. 13. 



11. Styles o. 12. 



11. Styles 3, rarely 4; petals with scales at the base of the blade. Silene. 



