276 ALSINACEAE 



axils. Flowers in open or subcapitate cymes, or solitary in the leaf-axils. Sepals 

 5, often strongly ribbed. Petals white, entire or notched, in one species 2-cleft, 

 sometimes wanting. Stamens normally 10. Ovary 1-celled; styles 3, rarely 2, 

 or 4 or 5. Capsule globose or oblong, opening by 3 two-cleft valves. Seeds 

 numerous, not strophiolate. 



Annuals; leaves ovate, 4-7 mm. long. 1. A. serpyllifolia. 



Perennials. 



Leaves neither narrowly linear nor pungent. 



Plant low and spreading; stems less than 1 dm. long; leaves ovate-oblong, less 

 than 1 cm. long. 

 Sepals obtuse or acute; midrib not very prominent; leaves glabrous. 



2. A. cylindrocarpa. 

 Sepals acuminate ;-midrib very prominent; leaves puberulent. 



3. A. polycaulos. 

 Plant taller; stems 2-4 dm. long; leaves oblong or linear-oblong, more than 1 cm. 



long. 4. A. confusa. 



Leaves narrowly Linear, more or less rigid and pungent. 

 Sepals ovate or ovate-lanceolate. 



Inflorescence contracted and- head-like. 



Bracts ovate, not scabrous-ciliolate, only scarious-margined. 



5. A. congcsta. 

 Bracts narrowly lanceolate, scabrous-ciliolate, wholly scarious, except the 

 midrib. 6. A. cephaloidea. 



Inflorescence more open. 



Sepals obtuse, or some acutish, or apiculate. 

 Plant glabrous. 



Bracts linear-lanceolate, scarcely scarious-margined. 



S. A. nnrclifolin. 

 Bracts ovate-lanceolate or ovate, broadly scarious-margined, with 

 green midrib. 9. A. lithophila. 



Plant more or less glandular. 



Sepals 4-5 ram. long; petals about twice as long as the sepals. 



10. A. formosa. 

 Sepals 2-3 mm. long; petals half longer than the sepals. 



11. A. salmonensis. 

 Sepals distinctly acute or acuminate. 



Petals deeply 2-cleft. 12. A. Kingii. 



Petals not deeply 2-cleft. 



Plant with a cesoitose perennial caudex; all bracts usually broadly 

 lanceolate and broadly scarious-margined. 

 Capsule scarcely excei-diiiM: tlie sepals; leaves ascending. 



Flowers all pedicellcd. in open regular cymes; inflorescence 

 more or less glandular. 

 Leaves distinctly pungent; plant sparingly glandular- 

 puberulent. 

 Sepals 4-5 mm. long; plant not densely tufted. 



13. A. uintahensis. 

 Sepals 3 mm. long; plant low, densely tufted. 



14. A. compacla. 

 Leaves more fleshy, not pungent; inflorescence and calyx 



densely glandular-pubescent. 15. .4. Tucedyi. 



Flowers mostly subsessile, in small glomerules at the ends of 

 the branches of the very irregular cymes. 



16. A. Burkei. 

 Capsule almost twice as long as the sepals; leaves spreading. 



17. A. aculeata. 

 Plant suffrutescent, the perennial portion of the stems often 1-2 



dm. high; lower bracts subulate, only the upper scarious. 



18. A. (jlabrcscrns. 

 Sepals narrowly lanceolate, acuminate. 



Cymes open, not densely congested. 

 Plant more or less glandular. 



Branches of the inflorescence long and ascending-spreading; sepals 



equalling or exceeding the petals. 19. A. laiiflora. 



Branches of the inflorescence comparatively short and .strongly a.scend- 

 ing; sepals ustiallv shorter than the petals. 20. A. Fcndlcri. 

 Plant perffclly gl;il)r(>iis. 21. A. Eastwoodiac. 



Cymes densely congested, subcapitate. , . . , 



Caudex of nunici-ous procuinbcnt braiiclios covered with dried leaves; 



sepals long-a.cumitiati-, loimcr t lia.n the i)etals. 22. A. FrankUnii. 



Caudex multici])ital; sepals short-acuminate, shorter than the petals. 



23. A. Hookeri. 



1. A. serpyllifolia L. Stem branched from near the base, decumbent or 

 ascending, 1-3 dm. liigli, finely imberulent; leaves 4-7 mm. long, ovate, acute 

 or acuminate, distinctly 3-5-n"erved, the lowest short-petioled, the rest sessile; 



