66 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



2-cleft, witli roundish-oblong nearly contiguous segments, and with 

 2 small bosses at the base; claws auricled at the summit. Gyno- 

 phore as long as the capsule. Capsule oblong-ovoid, about as long 

 as the calyx, opening by spreading teeth. 



On roadsides and chalky ground. Very rare. It occurs along 

 the side of the road between Dartford and Darenth, apparently 

 perfectly wild. It has also been found on Salisbury Crags, 

 Scotland. 



England, [Scotland]. Perennial. Summer. 



This plant very closely resembles S. nutans, but is less com- 

 j^actly tufted, the barren shoots and the decumbent base of the 

 stem being longer. The flowering stems are from 9 inches to 2 feet 

 high, with fewer and longer lateral branches than in S. nutans. 

 Plowcrs nearly erect, f inch long by f inch across, white, tinged 

 with pale yellow^ ; the lamina? slightly concave, not at all reflexed, 

 as in the former plant. The most conspicuous difference is in the 

 gynophore, Avhich is quite as long as the capsule ; and as the fruiting 

 calyx tits tightly over it, the relative length of the gynophore and 

 capsule may be observed at a glance. The whole plant is softly 

 hairy, with the stem and calices sticky ; flowers dimorplious or 

 sub-dioecious, opening only in the evening, and then fragrant. 



Italian Catchfly. 



French, Silcne Italique. 



Section VI.— MELANDEIUM. 



Inflorescence in a nearly regular dichotomoixs cyme. Calyx 

 not bladdery, cylindrical or elliptical-ovoid, at length broadly ovoid, 

 10-nerved, often ruptured by the mature capsule. Capsule without 

 imperfect partitions. 



SPECIES X.—S I L E N E NOCTIFLORA. Linn. 



Plate CCIX. 



Jieich. Ic. Fl. Germ, et Helv. Vol. VI. Caryoph. Tab. CCLXXVI. Fig. 500,1. 

 Melandrium noctifloi-um, Fries, Sum. Veg. Scand. p. 36. Garcke, Fl. von Nord- iind 

 Mittel-Deutscliland, ed. vi. p. 66. 



No perennial rootstock nor barren shoots. Stems erect, with 

 soft spreading hairs, and (as well as the calices) extremely viscid. 

 Lower leaves obovate or oblanccolate, attenuated at the base, 

 but scarcely stalked ; uppermost leaves narrowly strapshaped- 

 lanceolate, very acute. Elowers few, erect, perfect, in a dieho- 

 tomous cyme. Calvx at first cylindrical, truncate but not umbili- 



