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, 

 sonietimes 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. 



Leaves neither narrowly linear nor pimgent. 



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. 



Sepals acuminate: midrib very prominent; leaves puberulent. ^^ '" rocarpa, 



^^^fong^^^^^* ^^^"^^ ^~^ ^^' ^^"^' ^'^^^'^^ oblong or linear-oblong, n{o?e^thanYcm. 



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. 



Bracts narrowly lanceolate, scabrous-ciliolate, wholly scariousrexcept the 

 Inflorescence more open. ^' ^- '^^P^<^^oidecu 



Sepals obtuse, or some acutish, or apiculate 

 Plant glabrous. 



Bracts linear-lanceolate, scarcely scarious-margined. 



T>„, X ^ , , H. A. nardifolia. 



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

 green midrib g. a, lithophila. 



Plant more or less glandular. 



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

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



bepals distinctly acute or acuminate. 



Petals deeply 2-cleft. i o a Kir^nH 



Petals not deeply 2-cleft. ^ Kmgit, 



Plant with a cesoitose perennial caudex; all bracts usually broadly 



lanceolate and broadly scarious-margined 

 Capsule scarcely exceeding the sepals; leaves ascending. 



i- lowers all pedicelled, 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. uinlahensis. 



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



14. ^4 C0Tfl1}(lCtCl 



Leaves more fleshy, not pungent; inflorescence and calyx 

 densely glandular-pubescent. 15. A. Tweedyi. 



blowers mostly subsessile, in small glomerules at the ends of 

 the branches of the very irregular cymes. 



^^ , , ^ ^ . 16. ^. Burkfi. 



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



^^^hL®*!^''!^^^,^^^^*^^^^ perennial portion of the stems often 1-2 

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



Sepals narrowly lanceolate, acuminate. ^^- ^- «'^«^^^^^^"^- 



Cymes open, not densely congested 

 Plant more or less glandular. 



erm^fi.-rPfi^f inflorescence long and ascending-spreading; sepals 



^nJ- lpnni«^^c,?^^''''^K^!J.^® comparatively short and strongly ascend- 



^ Plant Kfytla^^o^^' ^^^^^^ ^^^^^ *^^ ^^'^'^- If i' ^^^iae 

 Cymes densely congested, subcapitate. ^* t^astuoodiae. 



""senLfloil'™^^ covered with dried leaves; 



r«.fl?v ^ ?.?r;^yAT'^^^^^^^ the petals. 22. A. FranklimL 



serpyllifolia 



acuminate 



■acummate 



23. A. Jlookeri, 



?ar the base, decumbent or 

 4-7 mm. long, ovate, acute 

 )rt-petioled, the rest sessile; 



