seeds brownish, lightly rugose, about 0.6 mm. long. S. gonomischa Boivin, Alsine 

 baicalensis Co v. 



In wet meadows and wet or moist forests in N. M. (Lincoln, San Miguel, Santa 

 Fe and Taos cos.) and Ariz. (Coconino Co.), July-Aug.; Ore. and Mont., s. to 

 N. M. and Calif.; Siberia. 



2. Stellaria longipes Goldie. 



Low essentially glabrous perennial with slender rhizomes, often more or less 

 tufted and matted; stems slender, erect or ascending, glabrous or very rarely 

 pubescent near the base, 1-3 dm. tall, 4-angled; leaves sessile, linear to linear- 

 lanceolate, 1-3 (~4) cm. long, 1-3 (-5) mm. wide, acute at apex, rigid and stiff, 

 often glaucous, sometimes ciliate at base, the margins smooth; flowers 1 or several 

 in a scarious-bracteate cyme, with slender erect pedicels to 8 cm. long; sepals 

 lanceolate, about 4 mm. long, acute to subobtuse, scarious-margined, glabrous or 

 sometimes ciliolate, 3-nerved; petals 2-cleft, slightly longer to slightly shorter than 

 the sepals; capsule ovoid, usually purplish, somewhat longer than the calyx; seeds 

 lightly reticulate, about 0.8 mm. long. 



Wet meadows, bogs, stream banks and seepage areas in mts. of N. M. (Rio 

 Arriba Co.) and Ariz. (Apache and Cochise cos.), May-Aug.; Nfld. to Alas., s. 

 to N. Y., Minn., N. M., Ariz, and Calif.; Euras. 



3. Stellaria longifolia Muhl. ex Willd. 



Spreading perennial; stems decumbent to ascending, to about 6 dm. long, 

 4-angled, glabrous but minutely tuberculate-scaberulous above; leaves sessile, 

 linear-lanceolate to linear, 1.5-3.5 (-5) cm. long, rarely more than 4 mm. wide, 

 acute at each end, glabrous or with a few basal cilia, the margins very minutely 

 tuberculate-scaberulous; flowers few to many in terminal membranous- to somewhat 

 leafy-bracteate cymes; pedicels divaricate, slender, 5-20 (-30) mm. long; sepals 

 glabrous, narrowly elliptic-lanceolate, 3-4 mm. long, scarious-margined, 3-nerved, 

 acutish; petals usually equalling or slighty exceeding the sepals; capsule greenish- 

 yellow, usually considerably longer than the calyx; seeds finely reticulate-warty 

 but appearing smooth. 



In marshes, on stream banks and in wet meadows in N. M. (San Miguel and 

 Taos cos.) and Ariz. (Apache and Coconino cos.), May-Aug.; Nfld. to Alas., s. 

 to S. C, N. M., Ariz, and Calif.; Euras. 



5. Arenaria L. Sandworts 



Small usually tufted annual or perennial herbs; stems slender or wiry; leaves 

 sessile to subpetiolate, exstipulate; flowers mostly white, in terminal cvmose or 

 capitate inflorescences or rarely axillary and solitary; sepals 5; petals 5 or some- 

 times wanting, entire to slightly notched or even bifid; stamens 10; styles 2 to 5, 

 usually 3; ovary 1 -celled, usually many-ovuled; capsule ovoid to spherical or 

 ellipsoid, splitting into as many or twice as many valves as there are styles; seeds 

 few to many, globose or reniform, often flattened. 



About 150 species of wide geographical distribution, mainly in North Temperate 

 Zone. 



1. Plants forming cushions or mats, in subalpine or alpine regions (2) 



1 . Plants not forming cushions or mats, usually at lower elevations (3) 



2(1). Sepals obtuse and usually somewhat cucullate at apex, much shorter than 

 petals; rarely as many as 3 flowers on a stem 1. A. obtusiloba. 



2. Sepals acute to acuminate at apex, about equal to the petals; some stems 



usually with more than 3 flowers 2. A. rubella. 



894 



