pinks 353 



XIV. CARYOPHYLLACE.E. Pink Family. 



Herbs, with opposite, mostly narrow, entire leaves without conspic- 

 uous veins: flowers 4-5-merous, sometimes apetalous, with stamens 

 twice or less the Dumber of sepals or petals, and 2-5 styles which 

 may be wholly separate or partially united: pod usually a 1-loculed 

 capsule commonly inclosed in the calyx, mostly splitting from the 

 top, th<> seeds usually attached to a central column. Genera between 

 30 and 40, species about 1,000. Representative plants are pink, car- 

 nation, bouncing Bet, catchfly, chickweed, corn-cockle, lychnis, spurry. 



a. Flowers polypetalous, with sepals united into a tube. 



B. Bracts at the base of the calyx 1. Dianthus 



bb. No bracts at base of calyx. 



c. Styles 2 2. Saponaria 



cc. Styles 4-5 3. Lychnis 



ccc. Styles 3 4. Silene 



aa. Flowers often apetalous, the sepals nearly or quite distinct. 



b. Styles 3 or 4 5. Stellaria 



bb. Styles 5 6. Cerastium 



1. DIANTHUS. Pink. 



Showy-flowered small herbs, with striate, many-furrowed 

 calyx and sepal-like bracts at its base: petals with slender 

 claws or bases, the limb usually toothed or fringed: styles 2. * IT^^ 6 



a. Flowers single on ends of branches. 



D. chinensis, Linn. China or florists' pink. Leaves 

 short-lanceolate, not grass-like: calyx-bracts linear-acute and 

 as long as the calyx: petals in white and shades of red, very 

 showy. China. Perennial, but grown as an annual (mostly f^]/ 

 under the florists' name D. Hcddcwigi). 



D. plumarius, Linn. Grass or Scotch pink. Common pink 515 ' Dianthus 

 of old gardens, from Europe. Low, growing in mats, glau- 

 cous-blue: leaves grass-like: flowers very fragrant, deep-fringed, white or 

 pink. Perennial. 



D. Caryophyllus, Linn. Carnation. Two ft. or more, with wiry stems, 

 glaucous-blue: leaves grass-like: calyx-bracts short and broad: petals more 

 or less toothed but not fringed: flowers fragrant. Europe. 



aa. Flowers in compact clusters. 



D. barbatus, Linn. Sweet William. Fig. 515. One ft. or more, erect, 

 green: flowers small, in dense clusters in red and white. Old World; common 

 in old gardens. 



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