I860.] CHICKWEEDS. 173 



vestigations, because from being more dispersed they exist under 

 more varied conditions, and are under the eyes of a greater num- 

 ber of observers. 



Such being then the importance of the subject, I trust no 

 apology will be needed for introducing to the readers of the 

 -' Phytologist ' three different plants, which are in this country 

 called indiscriminately Stellaria media, the first of them being 

 the /3. neglecta of Babington's Manual, p. 53. 



1. Stella?Ha neglecta, Weihe. — S. latifolia, DC. Stems o? mo- 

 Aerate height, weak, fragile, upright, unbranched, or with only 

 short branches at their base, dichomotous at the summit, with 

 an alternating line of hairs running from knot to knot. Leaves 

 wide, the lower ones stalked, sub-cordiform pointed ; the upper 

 sessile, ovate, pointed. Peduncles very long, reflected when in 

 fruit, usually like the calyx with no hairs. Petals white, bipartite, 

 slightly exceeding the calyx. Stamens ten. Anthers rose at first, 

 then yellowish, at last brown. Styles nearly as long as the sta- 

 mens. Seeds rough [" acutely tubercled"] . In damp places. 



S. umbrosa, Opitz, the S. media, y, of Babington^s Manual, 

 and S. grandiflora, Ten., is described as having its " leaves nar- 

 rowed gradually into long points, its calyx more narrowed below ; 

 sepals lanceolate, acute, glabrous but tubercular ; valves of the 

 capsule narrower, seeds with prominent acute tubercles'^ (Bab. 

 Man., p. 53). In the latter character the plant agrees with S. 

 neglecta, of which it is perhaps a variety. 



S. neglecta in aspect resembles S. nemorum, and it is very pro- 

 bably the former which has been found near Brighton (see p. 157 

 of this volume) . S. neglecta is said to flower in April and May, 

 not the year round, like S. media. It is to be noticed that 

 Reichenbach (Flor. Exc.) describes S. neglecta as having decum- 

 bent stems. 



2. S. media,Yi[\. Stems very much branched, spreading, ascend- 

 ing, of a handsome green colour, with an alternating line of hairs. 

 Leaves ovate, pointed, shortly stalked, the upper ones sessile. 

 Peduncles axillary and terminal, reflexed when in fruit, ultimately 

 straight, usually hairy, as is the calyx. Petals white, cleft, scarcely 

 as long as the calyx. Stamens 3 to 5 (" sometimes 6-8 in the 

 English plant''). Anthers reddish, becoming brown. Styles 

 nearly as long as the stamens. Capsule oblong. Seeds rough 

 [" bluntly tubercled"] . 



