94, POPULAR FIELD BOTANY. 
stalk having a single flower, which is small and white. The 
leaves and whole plant turn red after the flowermg is over. 
DECANDRIA. TRIGYNIA. 
THALAMIFLOR&. CARYOPHYLLACE. 
STELLARIA. (Srrrcnwort.) 
Generic Character. Calyw inferior, of five broad lance-shaped, 
acute, spreading leaves. Petals five, deeply cut, spreading, ob- 
long, withering. Stamens shorter than the corolla, the five 
alternate ones shorter still. S¢y/es hair-like, spreading. 
.This pretty genus has eight species, all having white star- 
like flowers, mostly of very small size. Two species are 
usually found in April, if the season is early. 
STELLARIA MEDIA. Common Chickweed or Stitchwort. 'This 
common plant, of which poultry and small birds are so fond, 
flowers during the whole year, growing everywhere, in waste 
and cultivated ground. It has egg-shaped leaves. Stems 
procumbent, with a hairy line between each pair of leaves, 
first on one side and then on the other; so that even this 
common weed is worth minute examination. The flowers 
are very small, with white petals. The stamens vary from 
three to ten. 
