166 Key to the System of 



Leaves hardly pointed ... ... ... 797 



797. Petals undeveloped or rudimentary. 



Annual, glabrous ; leaves narrow-lanceolar ; flowers solitary, 

 their stalklets usually abbreviated ; stamens five to ten, 

 much shorter than the sepals. S. multiflora. 



Petals developed ... ... ... ., 795 



798. Leaves linear, rather long. 



Perennial, glabrous ; flowers solitary, their stalklets much 

 elongated. (S. glauca.) S. palustris. 



Leaves from ovate to lanceolar, rather short. 



Perennial, often tall, sometimes extending to great length ; 

 leaves flaccid, stalked ; flower-stalklets elongated. 



S. flaccida. 



SAGXNA. 



799. Perennial, prostrate. 



Very small plant ; stalklets curved after flowering ; sepals 

 finally spreading ; petals usually developed. 



S. procumbens. 



Annual, erect. 



Minute plant ; stalklets straight after flowering ; sepals 

 continuing erect ; petals undeveloped or rudimentary. 



S. apetala. 



COIiOBANTHUS. 



800. Densely tufted, depressed. 



An alpine plant ; leaves abbreviated, rigid, linear-triangu- 

 lar, channelled, much pointed ; flowers solitary, on very 

 short stalklets. Figure 32. C. Beiithaniianus. 



Almost stemless, erect. 



Leaves elongated, narrow -linear, acute ; flowers solitary, on 

 long stalklets. C. Billarclieri. 



POX.YCARPON. 



801. Stamens three. 



An annual, glabrous herb, spreading or prostrate ; leaves 

 from elliptical- to spatular-obovate, simply opposite or 

 oftener in double pairs almost whorled ; stipules and 

 bracts pointed, quite scarious ; flowers very small, in 

 cymes. P. tetraphyllum. 



