CARYOPHYLLE^E. 51 



HAB. Road sides, &c. Can. and N. S. March Nov. 0. 

 Stem spreading. Peduncles axillary and terminal, 1-flowered. 

 Petals white, deeply cleft. . Stamens 510. Chickweed. 



2. S. pubera Mich. : pubescent ; stem decumbent ; leaves ovate-ob- 

 long, sessile, acute, ciliate ; pedicels filiform dichotomal, recurved or 

 deflexed ; petals longer than the calyx. 



HAB. Rocky banks. Penn. to Geor. May, June. If. ? Stem 

 6 ! inches high, diffuse and dichofomous. Flowers large, ax- 

 illary and terminal, on filiform pedicels. 



3. S. longifolia Muhl. : smooth ; stem erect, square, weak ; leaves 

 linear-acute, spreading, with the margins often scabrous ; panicle ter- 

 minal, divaricate, very long, bracteate ; petals broad-obovate, 2-parted, 

 about as long as the 3-nerved calyx. Spergulastrum gramineum Mich. 

 Micropetalum gramineum Pers. 



HAB. Moist woods. N. S. and N. to lat. 64. June. If.. Stem 

 12 15 inches high. Petals white, becoming longer than the 

 calyx. There appears to be no just ground for the separation of 

 the genus Micropetalum from Stellaria. It is, however, counte- 

 nanced by De Candolle. 



4. S. lanccolata Torr. : very smooth, procumbent or ascending ; 

 leaves lanceolate, acute at each end ; petals about as long as the calyx ; 

 stigmas mostly 4, or wanting. Micropetalum lanceolatum Pers. 



HAB. Alpine swamps. N. S. June. 1. Stem 6 8 inches. 

 Flowers solitary, axillary and terminal, on long slender pedun- 

 cles. By some botanists this plant is considered identical with 

 the former, while Dr. Hooker considers Dr. Torrey's plant as a 

 variety of his S. borealis. 



5. $. borealis Big. : stem spreading, angular, dichotomous ; leaves 

 oval-lanceolate ; peduncles axillary, elongated, 1-flowered ; petals 

 deeply cleft, about equal to the calyx. S?. borealis, var. Hooker. 



HAB. White hills. N. H. and throughout Can. to the Arctic cir- 

 cle. July, Aug. 14-. Stem spreading, angular. Leaves slightly 

 connate. Petals white, deeply cleft. 



6. S. longipes Goldie : weak, very smooth, glaucous ; leaves linear, 

 subulate, spreading ; peduncles terminal, dichotomously branched ; 

 bracts membranaceous ; pedicels much elongated ; petals broad- ovate, 

 deeply bifid, a little longer than the obtuse and obscurely 3-nerved 

 calyx. Goldie. Hooker. 



HAB. Woods near Lake Ontario. Flowers large, white, in a ter- 

 minal leafless panicle. A very minute description of this plant, 

 and many interesting observations upon the Canadian species of 

 this genus, will be found in Hooker's Fl. Bor. Amer. 



9. ARENARIA. Linn. 



Calyx 5-sepnlled. Petals 5, entire. Stamens 10, or fewer 

 by abortion. Styks 3. Capsule 1-celled, many seeded. 



Decandria. Trigynia. 





