92 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



ones sessile. Flowei's numerous, in dichotomous cymes termi- 

 nating the stem and branches. Sepals lanceolate, rather obtuse, 

 faintly 1-nerved, with broad scarious margins, the herbaceous part 

 with short gland-tipped hairs. Fruit-stalks spreading or reflexed. 

 Capsule drooping, longer than the sej^als, ovate-conical. Stem with 

 short gland-tipped hairs. 



By the borders of rivers and ditches, and in damp hedges and 

 thickets, llather uncommon. Pretty widely distributed in England 

 as far North as Yorkshire and Cheshire, but not known to occur in 

 Scotland. 



England. Perennial. Summer and Autumn. 



Stems much branched, very brittle, decumbent or supporting 

 themselves on bu^shes and other neighbouring objects, 1 to 3 feet 

 long, with numerous shorter barren shoots at the base. Leaves 

 of the barren shoots and lower part of the stem generally stalked, 

 broadly ovate, truncate or inclining to heart-shaped at the base ; 

 those on the flowering stem (except the lowest) sessile, oval or 

 ovate. Flowers white, about ^ inch across, very numerous, in 

 regular dichotomous cvmes terminatini? the stem and branches, 

 the whole forming an irregular panicle. Sepals lanceolate, rather 

 obtuse. Petals longer than the sepals, bipartite, with narrowly 

 oblong diverging lobes. Stamens 10. Fruit pedicels much longer 

 than the sepals, at first slightly reflexed after flowering, at length 

 spreading horizontally and hooked downwards at the end. Capsule 

 about one-third or one-fourth longer tlian the calyx, broadly ovate- 

 ovoid, conical towards the apex, which splits into 5 valves reaching to 

 about the middle of the capsule, each valve divided for a short way 

 down into 2 lobes. Seeds pale orange-brown, rugose, with vesicular 

 papillai. "Whole plant light yellowish-green, viscous, clothed with 

 short gland-tipped hairs. 



This plant bears much resemblance to Stellaria nemorum, and 

 to the large forms of S. media : from the former it may be distin- 

 guished by its smaller flowers, decumbent diffusely-branched stem, 

 shorter barren shoots, and by having more of the leaves sessile ; 

 from the latter it can be known by its larger flowers, stamens 

 always 10, and by the stem being hairy all round ; from both by 

 the absence of articulated hairs, and by the profusion of gland- 

 tipped ones on its stem, as well as by the larger capsule with 5 

 styles, and opening by 5 bifid valves. 



Water Chickweed. 



French, Slellaire Aquatique. German, Wasser-WeicJding. 



Sub-Genus II.— EU-STELLAUIA. Fenzl. 

 Styles 3. Capsule opening by G equal entire valves. 



