40 The Ottawa Naturalist. [May 



specimens of the same from British Columbia, Manitoba and Sable 

 Island.* As reg^ards S. apctala we have seen no specimens from 

 North America, but it would be very strang-e if this should not be 

 found here also. 



In order to facilitate the identification of S. apetala and 

 S. neglecta., we have thought it worth while to illustrate these 

 besides giving' a few notes upon their principal characteristics. 



Stellaria apetala Bernard. (Plate i, fig. i.) 



This has the general aspect of ordinary forms of .S". media in 

 regard to the leaf-shape and inflorescence, but it is pale green and 

 the flower has no petals ; however, rudimentary petals may 

 occasionaly be found in the earliest developed flowers ; the num- 

 ber of stamens varies from two to five, and the styles (fig. A.) are 

 diverging horizontally from near the base, while in S. media (fig. 

 B.) the styles are erect and only recurved at the apex. The seeds 

 are of a pale yellowish-brown colour, minutely tubercled like 

 those of S. media. The figure (i.) is drawn from a Swedish 

 specime*!, natural size. 



S. neglecta Whe. (Plate 2, fig. 2,) 

 Generally taller, but more slender than S. media, deep green. 

 The lower leaves have long petioles (fig. C) and the blade is very 

 distinctly pointed in contrast to the leaf of S. media ; the inflor- 

 escence is more lax and the flowers are borne on long, very slender 

 peduncles, which bend downwards after the flowering, but become 

 erect soon after the seeds have fallen. The petals are as long as 

 the calyx or even a little longer, while they are shorter than the 

 calyx in S. media. The stamens are ten in number, but the styles 

 are erect with recurved apex, as in S. viedia. The seeds (fig. D.) 

 are larger than those of S. media (fig. E) and the tubercles are 

 much more prominent and often cone-shaped. The figure (2) is 

 drawm from a specimen collected near Washington, D.C. 

 S. neglecta is, according to Murbeck,^'' a well marked type in 

 North and Middle Europe, but specimens from the Mediterranean, 



* These specimens are labeled: Cedar Hill near Victoria B.C. ; Burrard 

 Inlet B.C.; Killarney Man.; Sable Island, N. S. 



^■■' Murbeck Sv, Die nordeuropagischen Formen der Gattung- Stellaria. 

 Botaniska Notiser. Lund. 1899, p. 193. 



