ALSINACEAE. 115 



7. ALSINE L. Annual or perennial weak herbs. Leaf -blades succulent. 

 Flowers cymose or axillary. Sepals 5 or 4, ribless. Petals 5 or 4, 2-cleft or 

 2-parted, rarely wanting. Stamens 10 or fewer. Stigmas 3-5, slender. 

 Capsule barely exceeding the sepals, with twice as many valves as stigmas. 

 CHICKWEED. STARWORT. SWITCHWORT. 



Leaf-blades broad, or relatively so, ovate, oblong, elliptic, or lanceolate, not attenu- 

 ate : cymes not lax and open. 

 Stem, branches, and peduncles pubescent : lower leaves with petioles. 



Corolla shorter than the calyx : stamens less than 8 : capsule exceeding the 



calyx. 1. A. media. 



Corolla longer than the calyx : stamens 10 : capsule shorter 



than the calyx. 2. A. pubera. 



Stem, branches, and peduncles glabrous : lower leaves without 



petioles. 3. A. uliginosa. 



Leaf-blades narrow, narrowly linear-lanceolate to almost linear, 



attenuate : cymes conspicuously lax and open. 4. A. longifolia. 



1. A. media L. Stems 1-3 dm. long, often growing in mats: leaf -blades 

 ovate, 0.5-2 cm. long: sepals oblong-lanceolate, 3-4 mm. long, soft-tipped: 

 petals shorter than the sepals: capsules 4-5 mm. long, longer than the calyx. 



Common, in cultivated grounds and woods. Nat. of Eu. All year. 



2. A. pubera (Michx.) Britton. Stems 1-3 dm. tall, finely pubescent: leaf- 

 blades ovate, oblong, or elliptic, 14 cm. long, or those on the sterile branches 

 5-10 cm. long: sepals ovate to broadly oblong-lanceolate, 5-7 mm. long: 

 petals longer than the sepals: capsules 3-4 mm. long, shorter than the calyx 



S. Frequent, in rich mould on river hills. Schists. Spr. 



3. A. uliginosa (Murr.) Britton. Stems 1-4 dm. long, weak, often matted, 

 mostly simple: leaf -blades oblong to lanceolate, 1.5-2.5 cm. long: sepals 

 lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, 2.5-3 mm. long: petals usually shorter than 

 the sepals: capsules 3-4 mm. long, longer than calyx. S. Not common, on 

 wet banks and in spring-runs, especially along the Susquehanna, and the 

 Octoraro Creek. Schists. Spr. 



4. A. longifolia (Muhl.) Britton. Stems 1.5-4.5 dm. long, glabrous or nearly 

 so: leaf -blades narrowly linear-lanceolate,. 1.5-7 cm. long: sepals lanceolate, 

 about 3 mm. long, acute, firm-tipped: petals as long as the sepals or somewhat 

 longer: capsules 5-6 mm. long, longer than the calyx. Common, in wet 

 places or swamps. Spr. 



8. CERASTIUM L. Annual or perennial herbs. Leaf -blades herbaceous. 

 Flowers cymose. Sepals 5, or 4, ribless. Petals 5, or 4, notched or 2-cleft, 

 or rarely wanting. Stamens 10 or fewer. Stigmas 5 or 4, stout. Capsule 

 much exceeding the calyx. MOUSE-EAR CHICKWEED. 



Corolla shorter than the calyx or slightly longer. 

 Bracts scarious or scarious-margined. 



Plants annual : capsules nearly straight, less than 8 mm. long. 



1. C. semidecandrum. 

 Plants perennial : capsules curved upward, over 8 



mm. long. 2. C. vulgatum. 



Bracts herbaceous. 



Cymes glomerate, the pedicels very short : capsule 



about twice as long as the calyx or less. 3. C. viscosum. 



Cymes lax, the pedicels very long : capsule fully 



twice as long as the calyx. 4. C. longipedunciilutum. 



Corolla twice as long as the calyx or nearly so. 



Capsule less than twice as long as the calyx : blades 



of the cauline leaves linear to linear-lanceolate. 5. C. arvense. 

 Capsule over twice the length of the calyx : blades of 



the cauline leaves narrowly lanceolate to oblong. 6. C. vclutinum. 



1. C. semidecandrum L. Plants 5-15 cm. tall, viscid-villous : blades of the 

 upper leaves obovate or elliptic, 5-10 mm. long: sepals lanceolate, 3-3.5 mm. 



