276 ALSINACEAE 



axils. Flowers in open or subcapitate cymes, or solitary in the leaf-axils. Sepals 

 5, often strongly ribbed. Petals white, entire or notched, in one species 2-cleft, 

 sometimes wanting. Stamens normally 10. Ovary 1-celled; styles 3, rarely 2, 

 or 4 or 5. Capsule globose or oblong, opening by 3 two-cleft valves. Seeds 

 numerous, not strophiolate. 



Annuals; leaves ovate, 4-7 mm. long. 1. A. serpyllifolia. 



Perennials. 



Leaves neither narrowly linear nor pungent. 



Plant low and spreading; stems less than 1 dm. long; leaves ovate-oblong, less 



than 1 cm. long. 

 Sepals obtuse or acute; midrib not very prominent; leaves glabrous. 



2. A. cylindrocarpa. 

 Sepals acuminate; midrib very prominent; leaves puberulent. 



3. A. polycaulos. 

 Plant taller; stems 2-4 dm. long; leaves oblong or linear-oblong, more than 1 cm. 



long. 4. A. confusa. 



Leaves narrowly linear, more or less rigid and pungent. 

 Sepals ovate or ovate-lanceolate. 



Inflorescence contracted and head-like. 



Bracts ovate, not scabrous-ciliolate, only scarious-margined. 



5. A. congesta. 

 Bracts narrowly lanceolate, scabrous-ciliolate, wholly scarious, except the 



midrib. 6. A. cephaloidea. 



Inflorescence more open. 



Sepals obtuse, or some acutish, or apiculate. 

 Plant glabrous. 



Bracts linear-lanceolate, scarcely scarious-margined. 



8. A. nardifolia. 

 Bracts ovate-lanceolate or ovate, broadly scarious-margined, with 



green midrib. 9. A. lithophila. 



Plant more or less glandular. 



Sepals 45 mm. long; petals about twice as long as the sepals. 



10. A. formosa. 

 Sepals 2-3 mm. long; petals half longer than the sepals. 



11. A. salmonensis. 

 Sepals distinctly acute or acuminate. 



Petals deeply 2-cleft. 12. A. Kingii. 



Petals not deeply 2-cleft. 



Plant with a cesoitose perennial caudex; all bracts usually broadly 



lanceolate and broadly scarious-margined. 

 Capsule scarcely exceeding the sepals; leaves ascending. 



Flowers all pedicelled, in open regular cymes; inflorescence 



more or less glandular. 

 Leaves distinctly pungent; plant sparingly glandular- 



puberulent. 

 Sepals 45 mm. long; plant not densely tufted. 



13. A. uintahensis. 

 Sepals 3 mm. long; plant low, densely tufted. 



14. A. compacta. 

 Leaves more fleshy, not pungent; inflorescence and calyx 



densely glandular-pubescent. 15. A. Tweedyi. 

 Flowers mostly subsessile, in small glomerules at the ends of 

 the branches of the very irregular cymes. 



16. A. Burkei. 

 Capsule almost twice as long as the sepals; leaves spreading. 



17. A. aculeata. 

 Plant suffrutescent, the perennial portion of the stems often 1-2 



dm. high; lower bracts subulate, only the upper scarious. 



18. A. glabrescens. 

 Sepals narrowly lanceolate, acuminate. 



Cymes open, not densely congested. 

 Plant more or less glandular. 



Branches of the inflorescence long and ascending-spreading; sepals 



equalling or exceeding the petals. 19. A. laxiflora. 



Branches of the inflorescence comparatively short and strongly ascend- 

 ing; sepals usually shorter than the petals. 20. A. Fendleri. 

 Plant perfectly glabrous. 21. A. Eastwoodiae. 



Cymes densely congested, subcapitate. 



Caudex of numerous procumbent branches covered with dried leaves;. 



sepals long-acuminate, longer than the petals. 22. A. Franklinii. 

 Caudex multicipital ; sepals short-acuminate, shorter than the petals. 



23. A. Hookeri. 



1. A. serpyllifolia L. Stem branched from near the base, decumbent or 

 ascending, 1-3 dm. high, finely puberulent; leaves 4-7 mm. long, ovate, acute 

 or acuminate, distinctly 3-5-nerved, the lowest short-petioled, the rest sessile ;, 



