appressed-ascending, in fruit spreading and about half as long as the mature 

 capsule; petals about 1 mm. long; stamens 10 or rarely 5; capsule conic-ovoid, 

 3-5 mm. long, its valves erect after dehiscence. 



In wet soil and mud flats about lakes and ponds, and on seepage slopes in 

 N.M. (Rio Arriba, San Miguel and Taos cos.) and Ariz. (Coconino Co.), June- 

 Sept.; Greenl. to Alas., s. to N.M., Ariz, and Calif.; Euras. 



Var. hesperia Fern, has sepals not more than 2 mm. long. 



2. Sagina decumbens (Ell.) T. & G. 



Annual, usually without a basal rosette; stems capillary, erect, ascending or 

 rarely decumbent, simple or slightly forking, to 17 cm. high; leaves linear- 

 subulate, often spreading-recurved, slenderly mucronate, exstipulate; pedicels 

 filiform, axillary, straight, not hooked after anthesis, glabrous or glandular-pubes- 

 cent above, to 25 mm. long; sepals 4 or 5, oblong to elliptic, obtuse, with scarious 

 margins, to 2.5 mm. long, closely appressed-ascending; petals none or 1 to 5 and 

 rudimentary or sometimes equaling or slightly exceeding sepals; stamens 3 to 10; 

 styles as many as sepals and alternate with them; capsule slenderly ovoid, 2-3.5 

 mm. long, 1-2 mm. thick, its valves as many as sepals and opposite them, mostly 

 recurved at apex after dehiscence; seeds reddish-brown, delicately marked with 

 slender ridges, 0.2-0.3 mm. long. 



In wet meadows, wet or dryish fields, along paths and in open places in woods 

 in e. half of Okla. {Waterfall) and e., cen. and s. Tex., Feb.-June; from Fla. to 

 Tex., n. to e. Mass., s. Vt., s. N.Y., Ky., 111., Mo. and e. Kan. 



7. Spergularia J. & C. Presl Sand-spurrey 



Low branching annual or perennial herbs; leaves opposite or sometimes fas- 

 cicled, linear to filiform, fleshy or setaceous; stipules scarious; flowers pink or 

 whitish, in terminal racemose bracted or leafy cymes; sepals 5; petals 5, fewer or 

 sometimes wanting, entire; stamens 2 to 10; ovary 1 -celled, many-ovuled; styles 3; 

 capsule 3-valved to the base; seeds reniform-globose or compressed, smooth or 

 roughened, often finely sculptured and sometimes echinate or winged. 



About 40 species mostly in saline soils, widely distributed. 



1. Plant glabrous throughout; cyme much-compounded; sepals to 1.6 mm. long; 

 mature capsules 1.4-2.6 mm. long; seeds 0.4 mm. long or less, 

 never winged 1. S. platensis. 



1. Plant more or less glandular-pubescent (at least in the inflorescence); cyme 



lax; sepals 1.6 mm. long or more; mature capsules 3 mm. long or 

 more; seeds 0.5 mm. long or more, wingless or sometimes winged 

 (2) 



2(1). Seeds smooth or (at most) minutely papillose, usually dull in appearance.... 

 2. S. marina. 



2. At least some seeds minutely echinate, more or less silver-tinged 



3. S. echinosperma. 



1. Spergularia platensis (St.-Hil. & A. .Tuss.) Fenzl. Fig. 439. 



Annual diffusely branched plants, often forming depressed mats 2-3 dm. across, 

 glabrous throughout, the ultimate branches filiform; leaves narrowly linear to 

 filiform, mucronate, 1-3 cm. long, scarcely 1 mm. wide; stipules deltoid, acumi- 

 nate, 1-3 mm. long; flowers numerous, in open cymes; pedicels filiform, 2-8 mm. 

 long; sepals broadly lanceolate, 0.8-1.5 m. long; petals white, minute or rarely 

 none; stamens 5; capsule 1.5-2.5 mm. long; seeds brown, minute, less than 0.5 

 mm. long, strongly rough-tuberculate, not winged. Spergula platensis (St.-Hil. & 

 A. Juss.) Shinners. 



In low wet saline soils in n.-cen. and s. Tex., Mar.-June; a nat. of S. A., introd. 

 in Calif, and Tex. 



899 



