CLASS X. ORDER III.] ALSINE. 633 



Linn. — Lindley, Synopsis, p. 50. — A. rubra. — /3. marina^ Linn. — 

 De Cand. Prod. p. i. p. 401. — Alsine Spergula facie medii Rail 

 Syu. 351. 



Root tapering, long, fleshy. Stems numerous, branched, prostrate, 

 and spreading, round, smooth, leafy. Leaves opposite in pairs, about 

 an inch long, linear, acute, fleshy, not bristle pointed, flat on the upper 

 side, rounded on the under, quite smooth, and having at the base a 

 pair of broad ovate acute entire or cleft pale thin membranous stipules. 

 Floioers mostly in a terminal sub-corymbose raceme, and not so much 

 scattered along the stems and branches, and in A. rubra on rather 

 stout smooth or slightly hairy shortish peduncles^ erect when in flower, 

 reflexed in fruit. Calyx rather large, in five ovate lanceolate seg- 

 ments, with pale membranous margins, obscurely three ribbed, slightly 

 united at the base, smooth, rarely scattered over with pubescence. 

 Petals ovate, rather longer than the calyx, purplish, rose colour. 

 Stamens with awl-shaped filaments^ shorter than the petals. Anthers 

 ovate, yellow. Capsule ovate, smooth, and shining, longer than the 

 calyx. Seeds obovate, compressed, brown, smooth, or slightly rugose, 

 and with a more or less evident pale thin plaited and crenated. margin. 



Habitat.— On the sea coast; frequent. 



Annual or Biennial; flowering in June or July. 



This, in some of its varieties grown in dry places, partakes of some 

 of the characters of A. rubra ; but the shape, length, and substance of 

 the leaves, the more terminal inflorescence, shorter peduncles, larger 

 calyx, and diff'erent shape of its segments, together with the relative 

 size of the capsules, independent of the difference in the shape of the 

 seeds, are characters sufficiently constant to distinguish it as a separate 

 species from A. rubra. 



Sect. 2. Arenarium. iS'er. De Cand. Prod. p. 1. p. 401. Koch. 

 Flora Germ, et Helv. p. 111. Leaves tvithout stipules. Flowers 

 white. 



* Leaves ovate. 



3. A. peploi'des, Wahl. (Fig. 720.) Sea-side Alsine. Leaves ovate, 

 acute, sessile, smooth, fleshy ; flowers lateral, solitary, axillary ; calyx 

 with ovate obtuse single ribbed segments ; petals ovate, about as long 

 as the calyx ; filaments alternating with glands. 



Arenaria peploides, Linn. — English Botany, t. 189. — English Flora, 

 vol. ii. p. 306.— Lindley, Synopsis, p. 49. — De Cand. Prod. p. 1. p. 

 413. — Adenarium peploides^ Rajin.—De Cand. Prod. p. 3. p. 366. 

 (in Note). — Honkenya peploides, Ehrh. — Halianthus peploides. Fries. 



Roots fibrous, with long creeping underground stems, and putting 

 out fibres from the joints. Stems procumbent, branched, alternately, 

 and spreading round, thick, smooth, and fleshy, the branches some- 

 what angular. Leaves numerous, crowded opposite, slightly united at 

 the base, fleshy, smooth, and shining, ovate, acute, single ribbed, some- 



