30 CARYOPHYLLACE^. 



may be unitedor free; the petals are always free, and five; 

 the stamens usually twice as many. But the character 

 which distinguishes the family from all others except 

 the PRIMULACE^ and MYRSINE^ (and they are very 

 different in every other respect), is the one-celled ovary 

 with its large, round, central placenta, on which the 

 numerous seeds are arranged. The seed is deeply 

 indented at the scar, being bent round so that the apex 

 lies near the base ; and the embryo inside is in con- 

 sequence bent round too. This curving of the embryo is 

 characteristic of the order, and so of a few others for 

 that reason considered allied to it. 



The family is a large one of 80 genera and 1,300 species, 

 and belongs chiefly to the temperate regions. In India it is 

 practically confined to the Punjab and temperate Himalayas, 

 and to small mountain areas like the Nilgiris and Pulneys. 

 On the plains of Southern India only two species occur wild. 



Na7ned from two Greek words karion a mit, and phyllum a leaf, 

 lecatise the buds consist of ordinary unexpanded and rather long leaves, not 

 short specialised scales, and tikes the form of rather hard leafy Uwips at 

 the ends of the branches. 



f Sepals united as a tubular calyx silene 



^ \ Sepals not united b 



, r Leaves many at a node c 



\ Leaves two only at a node d 



f Leaves i inch or so, semi-cylindrical and grooved under- 

 neath ; flower in open three-chomotous panicles. 

 (Spurry) ........... spergula. 



.eaves four only at a node, flowers hardly more than y^ 

 \ inch across, in loose terminal cymes ; sepals keeled . . 



I POLYCARPON. 



Lower leaves stalked ; stem with a line of short hairs alter- 

 nately on one or the other side ; petals divided and flowers 

 in consequence star-like ; capsule not much longer than 



broad. (Stitchwort) stellaria. 



d \ Leaves all sub-sessile ; petals notched not deeply divided ; 

 otherwise similar to the above. (Sandwort), arenaria 

 All leaves sessile ; petals notched ; capsule two or three 

 times as long as broad, glistening. (Chickweed) . . . 



cerastium. 



I. 



