186 CARYOPHYLLACEAE (PINK FAMILY) 



intricately branched at the decumbent base, erect, nearly uniform in length 

 on a given plant: leaves crowded at the base, linear-subulate, not pungent, 

 semicylindric, 3-nerved: sepals linear-lanceolate, strongly 3-nerved, longer 

 than the petals: valves of capsule entire, considerably longer at maturity 

 than the sepals. A. verna hirta. (A. verna equicaulis A. Nels. Bull. Torr. 

 Bot. Club 26: 352. 1899; Alsinopsis propinqua Rydb. Bull. Torr. Bot. Club 

 33: 140. 1906; not A. propinqua Rich.) Not infrequent on open stony slopes; 

 central Rocky Mountains and westward. 



2. Arenaria Nuttallii Pax in Engl. Jahrb. 18: 30. 1893. Glandular-puberu- 

 lent or tomentulose throughout; root single, vertical, rather stout: stems nu- 

 merous, slender, loosely matted and much branched near the base; branches 

 ascending or erect, leafy: leaves subulate-acerose, rigid, pungent, tending to 

 be squarrosely spreading, connate, 7-10 mm. long: flowers usually numerous, 

 in a spreading cyme: sepals acuminate, often purplish, exceeding the subacute 

 petals: capsule ovoid, shorter than the sepals. A. pungens. In the mountains, 

 especially on slides; our range and west to California. 



3. Arenaria macrantha (Rydb.) A. Nels. A diffusely branched spreading 

 glabrous caespitose perennial; branches 1 dm. long or less: leaves subulate- 

 filiform, obtuse, 5-10 mm. long, 1-nerved: pedicels 1 cm. long or less: sepals 

 lanceolate, 4-5 mm. long, acute, scarious margined, strongly 3-nerved: petals 

 oblong, exceeding the sepals and the capsules. (Alsinopsis macrantha Rydb. 

 Bull. Torr. Bot. Club 31: 407. 1904.) La Plata Mountains, Colorado. 



4. Arenaria sajanensis Willd. in Schlecht. Berl. Gesell. Nat. Fr. Mag. 7: 200. 

 1816. Densely but finely glandular-hirsute: caespitose, with stems decum- 

 bent at base and leafy below, 2-6 cm. high, 1-3-flowered: leaves linear, ob- 

 tusish, rather rigid, 4-8 mm. long, usually glabrous: sepals linear-oblong, 

 nerved, glandular-pubescent, 3-5 mm. long: petals usually exceeding the sepals: 

 capsule oblong, exceeding the sepals. A. biftora obtusa. (Alsinopsis 06- 

 tusiloba Rydb. 1. c.) Common and variable; in alpine regions. 



5. Arenaria saxosa Gray, PL Wright. 2: 18. 1853. Finely puberulent, 

 green or glaucescent: stems many, spreading from a rather stout root, decum- 

 bent or creeping at the base, 5-15 cm. long: leaves numerous, slightly fleshy, 

 lance-oblong, acute, mucronate, 5-15 mm. long: flowers terminal and sub- 

 solitary on short simple peduncles, or in stouter individuals numerous and 

 paniculate: sepals ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, equaling the petals. (A. 

 polycaulos Rydb. Bull. Torr. Bot. Club 31: 406. 1904.) Colorado, New Mex- 

 ico, and Arizona. 



6. Arenaria confusa Rydb. Bull. Torr. Bot. Club 28: 275. 1901. Puberu- 

 lent caespitose perennial, with slender diffuse stems, 3-5 dm. long: leaves 

 linear-lanceolate, acute, with conspicuous midrib: pedicels (in fruit) diver- 

 gent, slightly bent under the calyx, about 1 cm. long: sepals linear-lanceolate, 

 scarious margined, about 3 mm. long: petals shorter than the sepals and the 

 ovoid capsule. Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. 



7. Arenaria congesta Nutt. T. & G. Fl. 1 : 178. 1838. Glabrous or obscurely 

 glandular-puberulent: stems slender, simple, 1-3 dm. high, more or less 

 tufted: basal leaves gramineous-setaceous, 1-5 cm. long, ciliolate-serrate 

 near the base; cauline few, gradually shorter: flowers sessile, in 1-3 dense 

 heads, subtended by 1 or more scarious bracts: sepals carinate, scarious, ex- 

 ceeded by the oblong petals. Very common in the mountains; Colorado, 

 Wyoming, and westward. 



7a. Arenaria congesta subcongesta Wats. Bot. Calif. 1: 69. 1885. Smaller, 

 the base subligneous; the stems usually glandular-puberulent; the flowers 

 fewer and tending to form an open dichotomous cyme. Range nearly the 

 same as the species. 



8. Arenaria Tweedyi Rydb. Bull. Torr. Bot. Club 31 : 406. 1904. Caespi- 

 tose, with ligneous base: leaves fleshy, linear-filiform, 2-3 cm. long: stems 

 glandular-puberulent, especially above, 7-12 cm. high: flowers in an 'open 

 cyme, with lanceolate scarious bracts; pedicels about 1 cm. long: sepals lan- 

 ceolate, acute, densely glandular-puberulent, about 5 mm. long and distinctly 

 surpassed by the petals. La Plata Mountains, Colorado, 



