60 FLORA OF MADRAS. [Saponaria. 



or a basal placenta. Fruit a dry capsule, dehiscing by teeth or 

 valves equal to or double in number to the styles or rarely 

 indehiscent or irregularly dehiscent. Seeds few or many, rarely 

 solitary ; albumen mealy or rarely fleshy ; embryo usually curved 

 round the albumen ; cotyledons frequently incumbent. 



Calyx gamosepalous, 4 5-lobed ; petals long-clawed ; styles distinct ; 

 leaves ovate : 



Styles 2 ; leaves clasping the stem ; pedicels long and slender 



1. Saponaria. 



Styles 3; leaves narrowed below; pedicels very short 2. Silene. 



Sepals free ; petals subsessile or : 



Stipules ; styles free ; capsule 3-10-toothed ; leaves ovate or oblong 

 (except Sagina) : 



Leaves ovate or oblong: 



Capsule long, often curved, with 6-10 short teeth ; petals shortly 



notched or 0; pubescence scattered 3. Cerastium. 



Capsule short, straight, splitting to below the middle into 3-5 

 blunt lobes ; petals split to the base or entire or ; pubescence 

 in a line on the stems : 



Petals split to the base or ... 4. Stellaria. 



Petals entire 5. Arenaria. 



Leaves linear ; petals entire, minute or ; capsule 4-5-valved to 



the base 6. Sagina. 



Stipules setaceous or scarious ; styles 3, united below (except 

 Spergula) ; capsule 3-valved ; leaves linear-subulate to obovate : 

 Stipules small, scarious ; petals entire ; styles distinct ; leaves 



linear-subulate 7. Spergula. 



Stipules setaceous or linear, forming an interpetiolar fringe ; 



petals 2-6-fid ; styles 3-fid ; leaves ovate 8. Drymaria. 



Stipules and bracts conspicuous, shining, scarious ; petals entire 

 or toothed ; styles united ; leaves linear-lanceolate or spathulate : 



Sepals keeled; style 3-fid 9. Polycarpon. 



Sepals terete; style 3-toothed 10. Polycarpaea. 



1. Saponaria, Linn. 



Annuals. Leaves flat. Flowers in dichotomous cymes. Calyx 

 tubular or inflated, 5-toothed ; obscurely nerved. Petals 5, clawed; 

 limb obovoid. Stamens 10. Disk produced into a very short 

 gynophore. Ovary 1-celled or imperfectly 2-3-celled ; styles 2-3 ; 

 ovules many. Capsule broadly ovoid, 4-toothed. Seeds globose, 

 hilum marginal ; embryo annular. 



