180 CARYOPHYLLACEAE (PINK FAMILY) 



seeds black, tuberculate. P. retusa (?). A weed now more or less common 

 in cultivated grounds in many parts of the world. 



42. CARYOPHYLLACEAE Reichenb. PINK FAMILY 



Herbs with opposite stipulate or exstipulate leaves and regular and mostly 

 perfect flowers. Stems usually swollen at the nodes. Sepals 4 or 5, persistent. 

 Petals 4 or 5 (or rarely wanting), often with a spreading blade and a distinct 

 claw crowned with an appendage at its summit. Stamens commonly twice 

 as many. Ovary 1-celled, with a free central placenta. Seeds reniform, many, 

 or by abortion few. Fruit a capsule, mostly 3-valved, opening to the base, 

 or the valves bifid and opening by six teeth at the summit. 



Sepals united, forming a tubular or ovoid calyx. 

 Ribs or nerves of calyx 10 or more. 



Calyx-teeth foliaceous 1. Agrostemma. 



Calyx-teeth short. 



Styles 3 2. Silene. 



Styles 5 3. Lychnis. 



Ribs or nerves of calyx 5 4. Saponaria. 



Sepals distinct or nearly so. 



Petals deeply emarginate or bifid. 



Capsule dehiscent to the base; styles mostly 3 . . .5. Stellaria. 



Capsule opening at summit only, by teeth; styles mostly 5' . . 6. Cerastium. 

 Petals entire or barely emarginate. 

 Stipules wanting. 



Styles 5 7. Sagina. 



Styles 3. 



Seeds not appendaged at the hilum . ... 8. Arenaria. 



Seed with an appendage (strophiole) 

 Stipules present, usually scarious and conspicuous 

 Capsule opening by 3 valves to the base 

 Capsule indehiscent, or essentially an achene 



1. AGROSTEMMA L. CORN COCKLE 



9. Moehringia. 



10. Spergularia. 



11. Paronychia. 



An herbaceous annual (or biennial), with linear leaves and purplish-red 

 flowers. Calyx ovoid, strongly 10-ribbed; its teeth prolonged into foliaceoua 

 appendages. Petals 5, unappendaged. Stamens 10. Styles 5. 



1. Agrostemma Gigatho L. Sp. PL 435. 1753. Densely silky-pubescent, 

 3-5 dm. high, somewhat branched: leaves 5-10 cm. long: flowers few, large, 

 long-peduncled: calyx-lobes 2-3 cm. long: petals obovate. A troublesome 

 weed; introduced into fields in seed grain. 



2. SILENE L. CATCHFLY. CAMPION 



Herbaceous annuals or perennials, with opposite leaves and white, yellowish, 

 or purple flowers. Calyx tubular, 5-toothed, 10-nerved or sometimes many- 

 nerved. Petals bifid or sometimes 4-cleft, with a conspicuous claw and 

 usually an appendage (crown) at the base of the blade, borne with the stamens 

 on a stipe (carpophore) under the ovary. Capsule dehiscent at the mostly 

 6-toothed summit. Styles 3. Seeds many. 



Annuals. 



Viscidly hirsute-pubescent . . . . . . . . 1. S. noctiffora. 



Nearly glabrous; glutinous on one or more of the upper internodes . 2. S. antirrhina. 

 Perennials. 



Acaulescent-caespitose . . . . . . . . . 3. S. acaulis. 



Stems 1-7 dm. high. 



Flowers in a paniculate leafy cyme 4. S. Menziesii. 



Flowers in a narrow mostly leafless cyme or thyrse. 



Petals cleft into 4 or more segments . 5 S. oregana. 



Petals 2-cleft. 



Plants low (1-3 dm.); flowers few, mostly in 5-flowered long- 

 pedunculate cymes. 



