PINK FAMILY 481 



Petals bifid or 2-divided, rarely none; styles 3, 4 or 5, when of the same number 



as the sepals opposite them. 

 Capsule cylindric, usually conspicuously elongated and often curved; styles 



commonly 5, opposite the sepals 1. CERASTIUM. 



Capsule ovoid or oblong, relatively short; styles 3 (or 4) 2. STELLARIA. 



Petals entire or merely notched, rarely none. 



Styles as many as the sepals and alternate with them 3. SAGIXA. 



Styles fewer than the sepals 4. ARENARIA. 



Stipules present, scarious (setaceous in no. 8) ; petals entire. 



Styles 3 ; leaves opposite 5. SPERGULARIA. 



Styles 5 ; leaves apparently whorled 6. SPERGULA. 



Style 1, 3-cleft or -toothed; petals minute or none. Tribe POLYCARPEAE. 



Leaves opposite or in 4s, oblong or obovate 7. POLYCARPON. 



Leaves opposite, subulate, cuspidate 8. LOEFLINGIA. 



Petals none or represented by mere filament-like organs; style 1, 2-cleft or -parted, rarely 

 3-cleft, or styles 2; fruit a utricle or achene; very small or prostrate herbs. Tribe 

 ILLECEBREAE. 

 Sepals distinct or nearly so; stipules present. 



Annual ; stipules and flowers minute 9. HERNIARIA. 



Perennial; stipules conspicuous, silvery-searious. 



Leaves subulate ; sepals very unequal, armed with a divergent spine 



10. PENTACAENA. 



Leaves oblancolate; sepals equal, cuspidate 11. PARONYCHIA. 



Sepals united below into a short tube. 

 Stipules present. 



Staminodes without glands ; annual 12. ACHYRONYCHIA. 



Staminodes with glands ; perennial 13. EREMOLITHIA. 



Stipules none ; low annual 14. SCLERANTHUS. 



B. Sepals united into a tubular calyx. 



Petals with conspicuous claws, these with the stamens and ovary frequently raised above the 

 base of the calyx on a stipe ; styles distinct ; fruit a capsule ; stipules none ; mostly 

 erect and often tall herbs. Tribe SILENEAE. 

 Calyx teeth much shorter than the tube. 



Styles 2; capsule opening by 4 short teeth. 

 Flowers showy. 



Calyx ovate, with 5 prominent angles; petals not appendaged. .15. VACCARIA. 



Calyx tubular, not angled; petals with scales 16. SAPONARIA. 



Flowers minute; calyx narrow-cylindric, about 15-ribbed 17. VELEZIA. 



Styles 3; capsule opening by 3 or 6 teeth or valves; claw of the petals commonly 



bearing scales or appendages at its junction with the blade. . . .18. SILENE. 



Calyx teeth longer than the tube; styles 5; capsule opening by 5 teeth. . .19. AGROSTEMMA. 



1. CERASTIUM L. MOUSE-EAR CHICKWEED. 



Pubescent herbs with white flowers. Cymes dichotomous with herbaceous 

 or scarious bracts. Sepals 5. Petals 5, retuse or bifid. Stamens 10 or 5. 

 Styles 5. Capsule elongated, cylindric, often curved, usually much exceeding 

 the calyx, dehiscent at apex by 10 teeth, these erect or spreading. Seeds 

 rough, more or less flattened. Species about 100, all continents except Aus- 

 tralia. (Greek keras, a horn, in allusion to the elongated curved capsules.) 



Petals shorter than or about equaling the sepals. 



Annual; pedicels not longer than the flowers 1. C. viscosum. 



Perennial; pedicels longer than the flowers 2. C. vulgatum. 



Petals twice as long as sepals ; perennial 3. C. arvense. 



1. C. viscosum L. MOUSE-EAR CHICKWEED. Erect, 3 to 10 (or 15) inches 

 high, pilose-hirsute and somewhat glandular, especially on the calyx; leaves 

 ovate to elliptic-oblong, sessile, slightly connate, 7 to 12 lines long; pedicels 

 not longer than the sepals ; petals equaling or distinctly shorter than the sepals, 

 oblong, bifid at apex, 2 lines long; stamens 10, one or more with reduced or 

 abortive anthers, or sometimes only 5 with anthers, the other 5 represented by 

 mere scale-like filaments; capsule tubular, 4 lines long, about twice as long 



