236 CARYOPHYLLACEAE 
thread-like flower stems, without petals or with very minute ones. Sepals 
generally 4. Dry soil in Mass., westward. June. 
3. §S. nodosa, (L.) Fenzl. (Fig. 11, pl. 41.) KNorrep PEARLWoRT. 
Growing in tufts, partly or wholly erect, 2 to 6 in. high. Leaves in pairs 
or mostly, below, in 4’s, thread-form. Flowers 4 in, broad, the petals 
much longer than the calyx, 1 or 2 to each stem. Wet sandy places. 
Northern part of our area. June-Sept. 
4. §. decumbens, (Ell.) T. and G. (Fig. 10, pl. 41.) D&EcUMBENT 
PeARLWort. Tufted annual with stems decumbent or partly erect, 2 to 
4 in. long. Leaves narrowly linear, sometimes bristle-tipped, about } 
in. long. Flower stems thread-like 4 to 14 in. long; flowers about 1/12 
in. broad. Sepals, petals and styles, each 5; stamens 5 or 10. Petals 
equal to or shorter than the sepals. Dry soil, eastern Mass., south and 
west. 
4. ARENARIA, L. 
Small tufted herbs, annual or perennial, Leaves opposite, without leaf 
stems and flowers in terminal groups. Flowers always white, petals 
rounded, not divided or notched at apex, or rarely with minute notch. 
Sepals 5, styles 3, stamens 10. 
Leaves egg-shaped, the intervals about ‘sant to or aces tue length of the 
leaves . Opie Marais ct peac cance . serpyllifolia 
Leaves awl- shaped. 
Lower leaves sparingly overlapping . . . . . « »« « « « A. wverna 
Lower leaves densely overlapping . ele a. ep) dS Ae COMG INES 
Lower leaves in distinct whorl-like bundles . A. stricta 
Interval between al the leat Bat eneeyes the length ‘of “the leaves 
. a ous Fy . . . Ritts, nea torque groenlandica 
eA: serpylifolie L. (Fig. 8, pl. 41.) THyME-LEAVED SANDWORT. 
Stems 2 to 6 in. high, somewhat hairy, diffusely branched. Leaves egg- 
shaped, without leaf-stems, 1/6 to 1/4 in. long, the intervals between the 
pairs about equal or sometimes exceeding the length of the leaves. Flowers 
in terminal loose clusters, small; sepals sharp pointed with 3 to 5 nerves. 
In waste sandy or rocky places. June-Aug. 
2. A. verna, L. Vernat Sanpwort. Stems 1 to 3 in. high, growing 
in dense tufts. Leaves narrow awl-shaped, overlapping below but not 
densely-so. Flowers numerous in loose clusters. Sepals sharp pointed 
with 3 nerves. Petals somewhat exceeding the sepals in length.. Smug- 
gler’s Notch, Vermont and northward. June-Sept. 
3. A. caroliniana, Walt. (Fig. 6, pl. 41.) PINEBARREN SANDWORT. 
Stems densely tufted, 4 to 6 in. high. Leaves of lower part of stem 
densely overlapping, the upper portion of the stem without leaves or with 
1 or 2 pairs. Flower clusters terminal, about 3 or 4 to a stem, 1/2 to 
2/3 in. across. Sepals blunt, without nerves. Petals narrow, 3 or 4 
times as long as the sepals, In sand, in the southern part of our area. 
May-July. 
4. A. stricta, Michx. (Fig. 4, pl. 41.) Rock Sanpwort, Stems 
slender in dense tufts, 5 to 15 in. high. Leaves bristle-like with clusters 
of 6 to 8 extra leaves in the axils forming a whorl-like fascicle. Flower 
cluster diffuse, leafless except a few bracts at the divisions of the stems, 
Petals rounded at apex, twice as long as the narrow and acute sepals. 
5. A. groenlandica, (Retz.) Spreng. (Fig. 3, pl. 41.) Mounrarn 
