75- CARYOPHYLLACEAE I93 



9. Stem woody, shrubby, nodose. Bracts brown. Sepals mucronate. 

 Petals 5, thread-shaped. Style elongated. Stigmas 2. — Species i. 



Island of Socotra Lochia Balf. fil 



Stem herbaceous, raiely woody at the base ; in the latter case sepals 

 obtuse ID 



10. Flowers in globose heads ; involucre becoming prickly. Sepals prickly 



beneath the tip. Petals wanting. Ovary adnate below to the calyx- 

 tube. Fruit bursting at the top. — Species i. North Africa and 



Cape Verde Islands Sclerocephalus Boiss 



Flowers in fascicles ; involucre not prickly. Petals thread-shaped or 

 wanting. Ovary free 11 



11. Sepals blunt, green. Style very short ; stigmas 2. Embryo curved. 



Stipules small. — Species 10. North and South Airica, Abyssinia, 



Cape Verde Islands. Some are used in medicine. . . . Herniaria L. 



Sepals more or less hooded, with a dorsal point beneath the tip . . . 12 



12. Seed with a straight embryo. Stigma i, entire or 2-lobed, nearly sessile. 



Stamens 5. Petals thread-shaped. Sepals white. Leaves in false 

 whorls ; stipules very small. — Species i. North-west Africa. Used 



in medicine lUecebrum L. 



Seed with a curved embryo. Stigma i, two-lobed, or more frequently 

 stigmas 2. Stipules large or rather large. — Species 15. North Africa 

 and northern Central Africa. Some are used in medicine or yield a 

 substitute for tea Paronychia Juss. 



13. Sepals awned. Petals awl-shaped. Style long, with 3 stigmas. Low 



shrubs with knotty branches. Leaves narrow. — Species i. North 



Africa Gymnoearpos Forsk. 



Sepals blunt. Petals scale-like. Style long with i stigma, or short with 

 3 stigmas. Herbs 14 



14. Style long, with i stigma. Leaves whorled, obovate. — Species i. Island 



of Socotra Haya Balf. fil. 



Style short, with 3 stigmas. Leaves opposite or alternate, narrow. — ■ 

 Species 3. North and South Africa and mountains of East Africa and 

 Madagascar Corrigiola L. 



15. (7.) Petals 5. Stamens 5. Embryo curved. Leaves linear, fleshy. — 



Species i. Nubia Sphaerocoma Anders. 



Petals none. Stamens i — 2. Embryo straight or almost so. Leaves 

 lanceolate, flat. — Species 2. South and Central Africa. 



PoUichia Soland. 



16. (2.) Styles united below. [Tribe POLYCARPEAE.] 17 



Styles free from the base 22 



17. Sepals 4, concave, minutely toothed. Petals none. Stamens 3. Ovules 



few. Style short ; stigmas 2. Flowers soHtary, axillary, with two 

 bracteoles. Leaves very small, densely crowded. — • Species i. Island 



of Kerguelen Lyallia Hook. 



Sepals 5. Stamens 3 — 5. Ovules numerous. Stigmas 3 or i. . . 18 



N 



