QO CARYOPHYLLACEAE (CHICK-WEED FAMILY) 



B. Calyx with 10 to many veins; styles 3-5. 



C. Flowers 2.5-4 cm. in diameter; calyx-teeth 2-3 cm. long, foliaceous; petals 

 dark purplish red; styles 5, opposite the petals; leaves linear. W. E. A 

 weed. (Gk. agros = field, stemma = a crown; on account of the beauty of the 

 flowers.) Agrostemma githago (CORN COCKLE) 



CC. Flowers mostly not so wide; calyx-teeth much shorter, not foliaceous ; 

 petals mostly not colored as above. 

 D. Leaves mostly linear; styles 3; capsule opening by 3 or 6 teeth. 



SILENE (p. 90) 



DD. Leaves wider than linear; styles 5; capsule opening by 4 or 5 or 8 or 10 

 teeth. LYCHNIS (p. 92) 



BB. Calyx with 5 veins; styles 2. SAPONARIA (p. 92) 



AA. Sepals distinct or nearly so; petals none or without claws. 

 E. Stipules none. 



F. Capsule cylindric; petals always present. CERASTIUM (p. 93) 



FF. Capsule ovoid or oblong. 



G. Styles either fewer than the sepals, or else as many and opposite them. 

 H. Petals none or entire or merely emarginate; leaves often sharp-pointed, 

 either terete or angular or narrowly linear, or else petals present. 



ARENARIA (p. 94) 



HH. Petals none or deeply divided into 2 lobes; leaves never sharp-pointed, 



flat, broadly linear or wider. STELLARIA (p. 92) 



GG. Styles as many as the sepals and alternate with them; petals none or 



entire or emarginate. SAGINA (p. 93) 



EE. Stipules present, scarious. 



I. Leaves apparently in whorls; styles 5; petals always present. W. E. A 

 weed in grain fields. (L. spar gar e = to scatter; the seed is widely sown with 

 grains.) Spergula arvensis (CORN SPURRY) 



II. Leaves opposite; styles 3, rarely 5; petals sometimes none. TISSA (p. 94) 



SILENE (CATCH-FLY) 



Annual or perennial. Flowers mostly pink or white. Calyx more or 

 less inflated, ovoid to campanulate, 5-toothed or -cleft, 10- to many-veined, 

 not bracted at base. Petals narrow, clawed. Stamens 10. Ovary i-celled 

 or incompletely 2-4-celled. Seeds many, spiny or tubercled. (Gk. sialon 

 = saliva; on account of the sticky substance on the stem of some species.) 



A. Calyx with 15 or more veins. 



B. Leaves narrowly oblong to linear; calyx veins 18-23, obscure. W. S. multinervia 

 BB. Leaves ovate-lanceolate; calyx veins 15-20, prominent. W. E. 



S. latifolia (BLADDER CATCH-FLY) 

 AA. Calyx with 5-10 veins. 



C. Plant 2.5-5 cm. high; leaves crowded so as to hide the stem, linear. W. C. E. 



S. acaulis (MOSS CATCH-FLY) 



CC. Plant taller; leaves not crowded so as to hide the stem, various in width. 

 D. Flowers 25 mm. or more wide. 

 E. Leaves lanceolate to ovate-elliptic, acuminate; flowers deep red. W. 



S. calif ornica 



EE. Leaves oblanceolate, acute or obtuse; flowers white or pink. W. S. hooker! 

 DD. Flowers 12-25 mm. wide. 



