232 CARYOPHYLLACEiE. Stellaria. 



Labrador. (Greenland, Holm ; Eu., Siberia.) A species now generally appended to Ceras- 

 tium, but forming a transition to Stellaria. 



11. STELLARIA, L. Chickweed, Starwort. (/S^efc, a star, in ref- 

 erence to the form of the flower. ) — Low spreading herbs, sometimes a little 

 succulent, mostly preferring a moist shaded habitat. Leaves flat, never acerose. 

 — Spec. i. 421, «fe Gen. ed. 5, no. 504; Seringe in DC. Prodr. i. 396; P'enzl in 

 Endl. Gen. 969 ; Reichenb. Ic. Fl. Germ. vi. t. 222-226 ; Benth. & Hook. Gen. 

 i. 149; Gray, Gen. 111. ii. t. 113; Pax in Engl. & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenf. iii. 

 Ab. lb, 79; Robinson, Proc. Am. Acad. xxix. 281. Alsine, L. Spec. i. 272, in 

 part. Stellular la, L. Syst. Nat. ed. 6, 106. Spergulastrum, Michx. Fl. i. 275. 

 Micropetalon, Pers. Syn. i. 509. Larhrea, St. Hil. Mem. Mus. Par. ii. 287.— 

 A genus somewhat artificially separated from Arenaria by the more or less 

 deeply cleft petals. Although convenient and generally useful this distinction 

 breaks down in 



S. MACROPETALA, Torr. & Gray (Fl. i. 184), and S. Kingii, Wats. (Bot. King Exp. 39, t. 6, 

 f. 1-3), which, notwithstanding their emarginate cleft or divided petals, are doubtless mere 

 forms of Arenaria patula and A. capillar is respectively. 



§ 1. Myosoton, Moench (as genus). Styles 5, alternate with the sepals: 



leaves ovate, acute. — Meth. 225. Alalachia, Fries, Fl. Hall. 77. 



S. aquAtica, Scop. Perennial, stem strongly angled and somewhat pubescent : leaves large, 

 ovate or ovate-lanceolate, acute ; the upper sessile, cordate ; the lower petiolate : pedicels 

 glandular-viscid, deflexed in fruit : petals 1^ to 2 times as long as the campanulate glandular- 

 pubescent calyx: seeds numerous, dark-colored, tuberculately roughened. — Fl. Carn. ed. 2, 

 i. 319. Malachia aquatica, Fries, Fl. Hall. 77. Malachium aquaticum, Reichenb. 1. c. t. 237. 

 Larbrea aquatica, Seringe in DC. Prodr. i. 395 (excl. syn.). Alsine aquatica, Britton, Mem. 

 Torr. Club, v. 356. — Becoming frequent upon waste land and public grounds in the Eastern 

 States, and more or less established along roadsides in Brit. America, Stratford, Ont., Burgess; 

 Nanaimo, Brit. Columbia, Macoun. (Adv. from Eu.) 



§ 2. Eustellj(ria, Fenzl, 1. c. 969. Styles 3 to 4. 



* Petals, except in some flowers of S. pubera, very deeply 2-parted (sometimes minute or 

 wanting) : segments narrow. 



-t— Lower leaves ovate, rather abruptly contracted into slender petioles. 



S. media, Cyrill. (Common Chickweed.) A low annual : stems pubescent in lines : leaves 

 acute; the upjier narrower, sessile; the lower on pubescent narrowly margined petioles: 

 calyx glandular-pubescent, equalled or slightly exceeded by the capsule : petals shorter 

 than the sepals: stamens 3, 5, or 10. — Char. Comm.36; Eng. Bot. t. 537; Jackson, Jour. 

 Bot. XXV. 69. Alsine media, L. Spec. i. 272; Walt. Car. 117. Holosteum succulentum, L. 

 Amcen. Acad. iii. 21 ; Nutt. Gen. i. 89 ; Torr. Fl. N. & Midd. States, 159. — One of the com- 

 monest weeds in dooryards and cultivated grounds, especially in moist soil ; fl. earliest spring 

 to late autumn. (Temperate and boreal parts of the Old World, Greenland.) 



S. prostrata, Baldw. Annual: stems weak, elongated, prostrate, pubescent: leaves ovate, 

 acute or shortly acuminate; the lower subcordate on slender ciliated petioles; the upper 

 cauline short-petioled or subsessile ; the floral reduced and bract-like : pedicels filiform : 

 flowers smaller than in the preceding : sepals in anthesis but a line long : petals nearly twice 

 as long : mature capsule much exceeding the calyx ; valves distinctly circinate-revolute. 

 — Baldw. in Ell. Sk. i. 518; Torr. & Gray, Fl. i. 183 ; Gray, PI. Lindh. pt. 2, 152, & PI. 

 Wright, ii. 17; Chapm. Fl. 50. — Moist and shaded places, rocky woods; Georgia and 

 Florida to Texas. (Adj. Mex.) Leaves very variable in size, from 2 lines to an incli in 

 length. The flowers in this species are distinctly smaller than in tlie nearly related Mexi- 

 can S. cuspidata, & ovata, Willd. 



