44 THE FLORA OF THE ALPS 



4. SAPONARIA, L. 



Flowers in compound cymes; calyx tubular; petals 5, 

 clawed ; seed-vessel bursting by 4 valves ; styles 2 ; disk 

 small. 



vS. officinalis^ L., Soapwort; fields and wet places. 5. 

 Vaccaria, L. ; stem ascending, 15-20 in., flowers pink, 

 leaves lanceolate, acute, the upper ones somewhat am- 

 plexicaul ; cultivated land. The following are alpine : — 

 S. ocymoides, L. (PI. 17); stem decumbent, petals pink 

 or lilac, leaves broadly lanceolate; Switzerland, Tirol, 

 Carinthia, Pyrenees. 5. lutea, L. ; flowers crowded, 

 petals yellow, violet at the base, stem erect, simple, 

 leaves linear; very rare; Monte Rosa, Dauphiny. vS. 

 ccBspitosa, DC. ; plant caespitose, flowers pink, leaves 

 linear, coriaceous, keeled; higher Pyrenees. 



5. SiLENE, L. 



Calyx inflated, 5-toothed ; petals 5, clawed, with 2 

 scales at the base of the blade, forming a corona ; disk 

 columnar ; ovary partially 3-celled ; styles 3 ; seed- 

 vessel bursting into 6 valves. 



The following lowland species are English, all with 

 white flowers : — vS. inflata^ Sm. (S. CucubaluSy Wib.), 

 Catchfly, Bladder Campion, common ; 5. nutans, L., 

 Nottingham Catchfly, frequent; 5. Otites, L., Switzer- 

 land; vS. conica, L., Dauphiny, Pyrenees; S.gallica, L., 

 Dauphiny, Pyrenees, Jura ; vS. noctiflora, L. {Melandriwtn 

 noctiflorum, Fr.), flowers fragrant at night, frequent. 

 Also in the southern districts: — 5. Armeria, L., with 

 small pink flowers, rarely white, and broad ovate leaves ; 



