CLASS X. ORDER III. J STELLARIA. 645 



acuminate, gradually tapering from the base to the point, narrow, of a 

 palish green, not glaucous ; in /3. nearly as broad again as usual, and 

 of a dull green, each with a prominent keeled mid-rib, the margins 

 entire, more or less ciliated with soft curved hairs at the base ; in /S. 

 the upper leaves especially ciliated with very short fine hairs, and in <y. 

 the m.irgins are waved, and more or less crisped, as well as being 

 mostly finely ciliated. Panicle terminal, often leafy, much branched 

 in a forked manner, with solitary flower from the axis of each division, 

 and widely spreading. Bracteas lanceolate, acuminate, membranous, 

 with a keeled mid-rib, and the margin ciliated with soft spreading 

 hairs. Flowers white, numerous, small, on long slender smooth 

 peduncles, erect, or spreading when in flower, reflexed in fruit. Calyx 

 lanceolate, three ribbed, often downy, the margins with a narrow mem- 

 branous border, more or less ciliated. Petals pure white, deeply bifid, 

 as long or rather longer than the calyx. Stamens with slender jila- 

 mentSj and oblong anthers, of a yellow or reddish colour. Styles 

 slender, spreading, with small downy stigmas. Capsule oblong, about 

 half as long again as the calyx. Seeds numerous, pale brown, kidney- 

 shaped, scarcely wrinkled. 



Habitat. — Dry bushy or shady places. /5. damp banks; frequent. , 



Perennial ; flowering in May and June. 



This is an extremely variable plant, depending upon the soil and 

 situation of its growth. The stem varies from a few inches long to 

 one, sometimes near two feet, and is either simple or much branched ; 

 the panicle is large, much divided and spreading on every side, and 

 the leaves gradually taper to the point, and not linear, with an acute 

 point, and the margins are entire, scarcely ever rough, but more or 

 less ciliated in those on the upper part of the branches always at the 

 base, and the calyx segments are sometimes quite smooth, but generally 

 very finely ciliated, like the bractea, with soft spreading hairs. It is 

 readily known from S. holostea, by its smooth stem and leaves, its 

 much larger branched panicle, and the leaves are all shorter, and not 

 so much acuminated, and the calyx is three ribbed. 



7. S. Babington'i. (Fig. 735.) Babington*s much branched Stitch- 

 wort. Stem smooth, square ; leaves sessile, narrow, linear, lanceolate, 

 quite smooth ; panicle lateral, longer than the stem, slender, much 

 branched and spreading ; bractea membranous, lanceolate, acuminate, 

 scarcely ciliated ; calyx segments three ribbed, smooth, rather longer 

 than the deeply bifid petals. 



Root small, fibrous. Stem square, smooth, simple, rarely branched, 

 procumbent at the base, erect above, slender. Leaves opposite, sessile, 

 quite smooth, rarely there are a few hairs at the base, about an inch 

 long, of a cheerful green, paler on the under side, with a prominent 

 keeled mid-rib, narrow, linear, with a lanceolate point, and not as in 

 the last species, tapering from the base upwards, but of an equal width, 



4 p 



