CARYOPHYLLE^. 115 



mostly 5-merous, complete and i-egular. Sepals united or distinct, 

 imbricate in bud, persistent. Petals imbricate or convolute, often bifid, 

 sometimes wanting-. Stamens usually 10, occasionally 5, distinct, hypogy- 

 nous around a ring- like disk, or perigynous by cohesion of disk with calyx- 

 tube. Styles 2—5, mostly distinct and with decurrent stigmas. Fruit 

 a capsule opening by valves or teeth. — A large order, chiefly of northern 

 or temperate regions ; of small economic importance, though the Old 

 World genus Diaiitlius furnishes the carnations, picotees and other pinks 

 of the florists ; and some other genera, such as Lychnis and Silene are 

 more or less cultivated as ornamental plants. 



Hints of the <]<enera.. 



Calyx garaophyllous and tubular, at. least below; toothed or cleft at summit, 1—4 

 Sepals distinct, or nearly so; 

 Stipules wanting; 



Petals bifid, or at least emarginate, - - 5, 6 

 '• entire, or at most only retuse, - -7,8 

 Stipules present (scarious or setiforra) ; 



Petals, if present, conspicuous, 9, 10 

 " minute, - - - - 11, 12 



1. VACCARIA, Dodonxus. A glabrous glaucous annual much 

 branched above. Calyx gamosepalous, pyramidal with 5 prominent 

 angles. Petals 5, unguiculate, not appendaged. Stamens 10. Styles 2. 

 Capsule ovate, 1-celled, but with rudimentary partitions at base, 4-toothed 

 at apex. 



1. V. VTJLGAEis, Host, Fl. Austr. i. 518 (1827). Saponaria Vaccaria, 

 Linn. (1753). Lychnis Vaccaria, Scop. (1772). Erect, 1—2 ft. high, 

 simple below, cymose-paniculate above : leaves cordate-ovate, acute, 

 entire, sessile : petals red ; blade obcordate ; claw linear : styles short : 

 seeds dark-colored.— An Old World weed of grain-fields, becoming frequent 

 in our region. 



2. AGROSTEMMA, Linnxus (Corn-Cockle). Tall annual, sparingly 

 branched above ; pubescent, not viscous. Calyx gamosepalous, tubular, 

 coriaceous, 10-ribbed, 5-toothed. Petals 5, unguiculate. Capsule cori- 

 aceous, 1-celled, 5-toothed. 



1. A. GiTHAGO, Linn. Sp. PL i. 435(1753) ; Lam. Encycl. iii. 643 (1789), 

 under Lychnis. Erect, 2—4 ft. high, soft-hirsute : leaves linear-lanceo- 

 late, connate at base : fl. solitary on long upright peduncles : calyx 1% 

 in. long, the linear teeth as long as the tube, deciduous from the mature 

 fruit : petals purple, not equalling the calyx-teeth ; limb broad, obtuse, 

 entire ; claw unappendaged.— A weed of the grain-fields, more pernicious 

 than Vaccaria, but not yet common in California. It has been found at 

 Berkeley. 



3. LYCHNIS, Theophraslus. Herbs usually pubescent and more or 



