THALAMIFLOR^ 139 



Blinking Chickweed, Blinks, Water Chickweed, 

 Water Blinks are the names by which it is known. 



Monti A fontana. — Here, in Fig. 25, the tufted 

 habit is well shown, as well as the form and arrange- 

 ment of the leaves, which are spoon-shaped. Flowers 

 are seen in the axils of the leaves, 



13. The Milkwort Group. 



In the order Polygalaceae are included some seven 

 hundred species, placed in ten genera, and almost, 

 like the last group, cosmopolitan in range. They, 

 however, do not apparently occur in New Zealand, 

 Polynesia, or in the Arctic Zone. They are thus 

 mainly southern or tropical. The Milkworts are the 

 only European members of this group. 



These plants are either herbaceous or shrubs, or 

 small trees. The leaves of most of them are simple, 

 entire, alternate, opposite or in whorls, and stipules 

 are not, as a rule, present, and if so, thorny or 

 scaly. 



The flowers are very irregular, in terminal racemes, 

 spikes, or panicles, and bracts and bracteoles are 

 usually produced. The perianth is complete, with 

 two whorls. The calyx is polysepalous, inferior, 

 with five irregular or unequal sepals, the two inner 

 alae large and petaloid. The corolla consists of five, 

 more usually three, petals, which are hypogynous, 

 the lowest awl-like, and the upper two are more or 

 less united to the staminal tube or filaments, the 



