STELLARIA.] CARYOPHYLLEJE. 63 



7. S. uligino'sa, Murr. ; glaucous, nearly glabrous, stern 4-angled, 

 leaves oblong or ovate-lanceolate, cymes few-fld., petals shorter than the 

 acuminate sepals. 



Wet places, N. to Shetland; ascends to 3,300 ft. in the Highlands ; Ireland ; 

 Channel Islands ; fl. May- July. Perennial, 3-18 in., erect or diffuse, vari- 

 able in size, habit, and breadth of leaves, 1- or more-fld., glabrous, or with a 

 few hairs at the bases of the leaves, which are narrowed at both ends, and 

 callous at the tip. Bracts scarious. Flowers J in. diam. Tube of calyx 

 funnel-shaped. Capsule ovoid. Seeds minute. DISTRIB. Europe (Arctic), 

 N. Africa, N. and W. Asia to the Himalaya, N. America. 



8. ARENA'RIA, L. SANDWORT. 



Annual or perennial herbs, often tufted. Leaves broad or narrow. 

 Flowers white or pink, in dichotomous cymes. Sepals 5. Petals 5, entire 

 or slightly notched, rarely 0. Stamens 10, rarely 5, inserted on the disk. 

 Disk annular, or of inter-staminal honeyed glands. Ovary 1-celled ; styles 

 3-4 ; ovules many, rarely few. Capsule short, with as many entire or 2-fid 

 valves as there are styles. Seeds compressed, smooth or tubercled ; 

 embryo annular. DISTRIB. all temp, and cold regions ; species 130. 

 ETYM. Arena, from many growing in sand. 



SECTION 1. Alsi'ne, Wahl. (gen.). Flowers hermaphrodite. Disk annu- 

 lar. Capsule with 3-4 entire valves. Seeds many, funicle not swollen or 

 appendaged. Leaves linear-setaceous in all the British species. 



1. A. ver'na, L. ; densely tufted, leaves crowded subulate, 1 ? flowering 



branches slender 4 few-fld., oblong petals and capsule rather longer than the 



lanceolate sepals. 



Dry rocks, pastures and banks, N. to Shetland, local; ascends to 2,500 ft. in 

 the Highlands ; Ireland; fl. May- July. Perennial, bright green, sparingly 

 hairy and glandular. Rootstock woody; branches 2-4 in., densely tufted, 

 forming a green cushion. Leaves |-J in., 3-nerved. Bracts acute, margins 

 scarious. Flowering branches strict. Flowers ^ in. diam., white, proteran- 

 drous ; pedicels slender, glandular. Petals oblong, hardly longer than the 

 sepals. DISTRIB. Mid. and S. Europe, N". Africa, N. America. 



A. ver'na, proper; leaves apiculate, lower not appressed. YAE. Gerar'di, 

 Wahlb. ; leaves not apiculate, lower appressed. Cornwall. 



2. A. hir'ta, Wormsk. ; densely tufted, leaves crowded subulate obtuse, 



peduncles pubescent 1 -flowered, petals lanceolate and capsule shorter than 



the acute 3-nerved sepals. A. rubel'la, Hook. 



Rocky tops of Breadalbane Mts. and Ben Hope, alt. 2,500 to 4,OCO ft., very 

 rare; fl. July-Aug. General character of A. vema, of which it may be an 

 Arctic sub-species, but of laxer habit, smaller in all its parts, yellow-green 

 and purplish ; leaves more flaccid and obtuse ; flowers usually solitary ; 

 petals shorter; styles commonly 4; seeds smaller and more orbicular. 

 DISTRIB. Arctic regions. 



3. A. uligino'sa, Schleich. ; stems loosely tufted ascending, peduncles 

 filiform 1 3-flowered, leaves subulate semiterete obtuse nerveless, petals 



