188 TRIANDRIA— TRIGYNIA. Polycaipoii. 



H. quae Alsine verna glabra^ floribus iimbellatLS. Dill. Giss. 4\. 



append. 130. f. 6. 

 Cerastium umbellatum. Huds. 201. Dicks. H. Sice. fuse. 2. 5. 



Hook. Lond.fasc. \. t.l3. 

 Alsine n. 879. Hall. Hist. v. 1. 386. 

 Caryophyllus holosteus arvensis. Ger. Em. 595./. 



On old walls, rare. 



On several walls and roofs about Norwich, especially in the 

 northern part of the town ; first discovered by Mr. Pitchjvrd. 



About Bury. Sir T. G. Culliim, Bart. 



Annual. April. 



Root small, fibrous. Stems vreak and partly decumbent, branched 

 from the bottom only, 4 or 5 inches high, round, leafy ; smooth 

 below 3 hairy and glutinous at the upper part, between the joints. 

 Leaves hardly an inch long-, spreading, single- ribbed, glaucous 

 and rather succulent, quite entire and even at the edges j ta- 

 pering somewhat at the base into short, broad, combined foot- 

 stalks. Flower-stalks about 5, terminal, umbellate, simple, spread- 

 ing, at length partly reflexed ; with several small hracteas at 

 their base. Calyx smooth, brownish. Petals white, with a tinge 

 of red, elliptic-oblong, variously and unequally jagged at each 

 side, not deeply and regularly cloven, as the character of Ceras- 

 tium requires. Stam. in our specimens nevermore than 3. Styles 

 3. Teeth or valves of the capsule, when perfect, naturally 6. 

 Seeds reddish. Professor Hooker has detailed, with great can- 

 dour and accuracy, the difficulties attending the generic deter- 

 mination of this plant. A new round-leaved species from Nepal, 

 having similarly jagged petals, confirms my opinion of the essen- 

 tial character 3 for the corolla of the Caryophyllece, whose pre- 

 sence separates them widely, in the natural system, from their 

 near allies, is found to afford their best generic distinctions. 



64. POLYCARPON. All-seed. 



Linn. Gen. 42. Juss.209. Fl. Br. 1G2. Lam. t.5\. Gartn. t. 129- 



Nat. Ord. same as n. 63. 



Cal. inferior, of 5 ovate, keeled, concave, pointed, permanent 

 leaves. Pet. 5, obovate, shorter than the calyx, alternate 

 with it, nearly entire. Filam. 3, sometimes 5, awl-shaped, 

 half the length of the calyx. Anth. erect, 2-lobed. Germ. 

 ovate. Styles 3, spreading, the length of the germen. 

 Stigmas obtuse, somewhat capitate. Caps, ovate, of 1 cell, 

 with 3 ovate, concave valves. Seeds immerous, slightly 

 kidney-shaped, rough, nearly sessile, on an oblong central 

 7'eceptacle, 



Mr. Ferdinand Bauer observed the style and stigma to be 

 solitary in such oi ih^JloKcrs as have 5 stamcnc-. 



