AP. I.] CARYOPHYLLACEjE. 289 



ORDER XXYI CARYOPHYLLACE^— THE CARNA- 



TION TRIBE. 



The plants belonging to this order have so 

 strong a family likeness to each other as to be 

 easily recognised ; and they are all distinguished 

 botanically by the swollen joints of their stems, 

 and their opposite undivided leaves, which are 

 generally connate, that is united, and sheathing 

 the stem. The order is divided into two sec- 

 tions, viz. : Silenese, in which the sepals are 

 united into a tube, and which section includes 

 the genera Silene, Dianthus, Saponaria, 

 Lychnis, and Agrostemma ; and Alsinese, in 

 which the sepals are either quite distinct, or 

 only slightly cohering at the base, and which 

 includes Stellaria, Arenaria, Cerastium, Sper- 

 gula, and several other British weeds. The 

 Chickweed was called by Linnseus Alsine 

 media, but the genus Alsine is now united to 

 Stellaria. 



The Wild or Clove Carnation (Dianthus 

 Caryophyllus), which may be considered the 

 type of the order, has an erect stem, swollen at 

 the joints, with connate leaves, (see a in Jig. 118). 

 The flower, when single, consists of five petals, 

 each with a very long narrow claw {h\ and a 

 rather broad limb or blade (c) serrated at the 

 edge. The calyx {f) is tubular, with five 



