116 ALSINACEAE. 



long, acuminate: petals oblong, about as long as the sepals: capsules 5-7 mm. 

 long. • — S. Common, in dry pastures. — Schists, serpentine. — Sum. 



2. C. VTiIgatum L. Plants 8-50 cm. tall, pubescent and somewhat clammy: 

 blades of the upper leaves oblong, narrowly elliptic or ovate, 5-35 mm. long: 

 sepals lanceolate, 5-6 mm. long, obtuse: petals narrowly obovate: capsules 

 9-11 mm. long. — Common, in pastures and fields. — Sum. 



3. C. viscosum L. Plants 8-40 cm. tall, viscid-villous : blades of the upper 

 leaves oval or obovate, 8-25 mm. long: sepals oblong-lanceolate, 3-4 mm. long, 

 acute: petals elliptic-oblong, shorter than the sepals or slightly longer: cap- 

 sules 7-9 mm. long. — Common, in meadows and moist soil. — Spr. 



4. C. longipedunculatum Muhl. Plants 8-50 cm. tall, clammy-villous : blades 

 of the upper leaves oblong^ linear-oblong, or lanceolate, 9-60 mm. long: sepals 

 oblong or oblong-lanceolate, 4-5 mm. long, acute: petals oblong or linear- 

 oblong, somewhat longer than the sepals, or wanting: capsules 9-13 mm. long. 

 ■ — M. S. Common, in moist thickets and woods. — Limestones, schists. — Spr. 



5. C. arvense L. Plants 9-40 cm. tall, soft-pubescent: blades of the upper 

 leaves linear-lanceolate to linear, 25-30 mm. long: sepals oblong-lanceolate, 

 4-5 mm, long, acutish: petals cuneate, scarcely twice as long as the sepals: 

 capsules 8-10 mm. long, less than twice the length of the mature calyx. — 

 Common, in dry stony places and on cliffs. — Spr. 



6. C. velutinum Raf. Plants 15-40 cm. tall, copiously soft-pubescent, or 

 becoming glabrous in age: blades of the upper leaves mostly narrowly lanceo- 

 late to oblong, 2.5-4 cm. long, flat : sepals oblong to ovate-olalong, 4.5-5.5 mm. 

 long, obtuse: petals broadly cuneate, about twice as long ns the sepals: cap- 

 sules 12-14 mm. long, fully twice as long as the mature calyx. — Susquehanna 

 valley and S. Frequent or common, on rocks or in stony soil. — Spr. and sum. 



Family 8. CARYOPHYLLACEAE. Pink Family. 



Herbs with stems usually swollen at the nodes. Leaves opposite: 

 blades often with connate bases. Flowers perfect, polygamous, or rarely 

 dioecious. Calyx of 4 or 5 partially united sepals. Corolla of 4 or 5 

 distinct petals, the claws in the calyx-tube, the blades often appendaged at 

 the base. Androecium of usually 8 or 10 distinct stamens. Gynoecium 

 of 2-5 united carpels. Ovary often stalked. Fruit a capsule opening by 

 apical valves. 



Calyx-tube with 5 ribs, nerved or nerveless : styles 2. 



Petals unappendaged : calyx with bractlets at the base. 1. Dianthus. 



Petal appendaged at the base of the blade : calyx without 



bractlets. 2. Saponaria. 



Calyx tube with at least twice as many ribs as lobes : styles 3 

 or more. 

 Styles 3 or rarely 4. 3. Silene. 



Styles 5. 



Calyx-lobes relatively small, short : petals alternate with 



the styles ; blades appendaged. 4. Lychnis. 



Calyx-lobes foliaceous, elongate : petals opposite to the 



styles ; blades unappendaged. 5. Ageostemma. 



1. DIANTHUS L. Perennial or rarely annual herbs. Leaf -blades usually 

 narrow. Flowers perfect, sessile. Calyx narrow: tube equally striate. Petals 

 5: blades narrow. Ovary elongate. Capsule narrow, sessile. 



1. D. Armeria L. Stem 2-8 dm. tall, minutely pubescent: blades of the 

 cauline leaves linear, 3-8 cm. long: calyx pubescent, 19-22 mm. long; lobes 

 lanceolate, acuminate: petal-blades oblong to cuneate, 5-6.5 mm. long, mainly 

 pink, toothed: capsules 13-15 mm. long. — Eather common, on roadsides and 

 in fields. — Nat. of Eu. — Sum. — Pink. Deptford-pink. 



