22 The Flowering Plants of Western India. 



ORDER 15. CARYOPHYLLEJE. The Pink family. 

 Herbs with opposite branches, jointed, and thickened at 

 the joints; leaves opposite entire, sepals and petals 4 or 5, 

 stamens generally 8 or 10, sometimes 5, styles 2 to 5, fruit a 

 capsule. 



" There are no other exogens with polypetalous lowers, opposite 

 undivided leaves without stipules, and stems swollen at the joints." 

 Lindley. 



This large order contains flowers, both wild and cultivated, well 

 known to most English people, such as pinks and carnations, sweet- 

 williams, catchflys, chickweeds, &c., but it is very poorly repre- 

 sented in India except in the Himalayas. 



1. SAPONARIA. Leaves flat, calyx more or less tubular 5- 

 toothed, petals 5, clawed, stamens 10, styles 2. 



2. POLYCARP^EA. Leaves flat with scarious stipules, sepals 

 5 free, more or less scarious, petals and stamens 5, style trifid. 



1. SAPONARIA. Soapwort. 



S. vaccaria, a tall and pretty smooth plant, leaves long 

 lanceolate connate at the base, with a scarious tip or margin ; 

 flowers long stalked pink, capsule broad oval included in the 

 increasing calyx ; seeds many, black. 



This is not common, and is not given either in D. or G. " In wheat 

 fields throughout India : a weed of cultivation " (H.}. I have seen it 

 only in watered fields. Any English flower-lover would at once 

 recognize it as a near relation of the garden pinks. 



2. POLYCARP^EA. 



P. corymbosa. A plant with narrow linear leaves generally 

 verticilled at the nodes, and flowers in much branched cymes, 

 remarkable for the scarious silvery sepals which are longer than 

 the petals and capsules. 



Seashore S. Konkan and Guzerat : also in the Deccan (D.). D. calls 

 this "rigidly erect with few branches." H. " erect or decumbent 

 much dichotomously branched." 



Arenaria (sandwort) sepals and petals 5, the latter entire, stamens 

 10 to 15, styles 3 or 4. * A neilgherrensis much branched, pro- 

 cumbent, flowers small, white. Belgaum and Dharwar collectorates, 

 D. ; but H., whose description differs a good deal, has it only at 

 considerable elevations in the Himalayas and Nilghiris. 



For genus Mollugo, often put in this order, see Ficoideae. 



ORDER 16. PORTTJLACEJE. 



Herbs with entire leaves and membranous or hairy ap- 

 pendages at the nodes ; sepals 2, petals 4 or 5, styles divided, 

 fruit a capsule. 



