CARYOPHYLLACE^: 109 



and a south-west aspect. It should be planted in a level part of the 

 rockery, and a top dressing of sand and leaf-mould will help it 

 greatly. 



MCEHRINGIA L. 



Petals 5, rarely 4, expanded. Stamens 10, rarely 8. Capsule 

 3-6 valved. Styles usually 3. Leaves nerveless, or 1-3 nerved. 

 Seed with a mantle-like appendage at the base. 



A small genus of about 15 species inhabiting Central and Southern 

 Europe. 



M&hringia muscosa L. 



Stem fragile, prostrate, or ascending, branched, glabrous like 

 whole plant. Leaves narrowly linear or acicular, acute, nerveless. 

 Flowers in small, white, 1-3 flowered, or forked, loose cymes ; 

 flower-stalks elongated after flowering, and standing out horizontally. 

 Calyx teeth 4, ovate-lanceolate, acute, i-nerved, with membranous 

 margins. Petals 4, longer than calyx. Stamens 8. Styles 2. 

 Capsule 4-valved. Forming large, dense, evergreen patches on 

 damp rocks, banks, and walls and in mossy, shady places of the 

 mountain region up to 6500 feet at least. May to August. 



Distribution. Carpathians, Eastern, Central, and Western Alps ; 

 Pyrenees ; Jura, Erzgebirge, Cevennes. Europe, from Spain to 

 Servia. 



A useful evergreen plant for filling up gaps in moist shady places 

 in rock-gardens. 



Mcehringia ciliata (Scop.) Dalla Torre (M. polygonoides Mert. and 

 Koch.). 



Stem 2-6 inches high, very brittle, prostrate, or ascending, 

 branched, glabrous, like the whole plant, except for a few fine hairs 

 on the leaves and flower-stalks. Leaves narrowly linear, rather flat, 

 acute, or obtuse, nerveless, grass-green, somewhat wrinkled, short. 

 Flowers in 1-2 flowered cymes ; flower-stalks erect after flowering. 

 Flowers pale white, a little larger than in muscosa. Calyx teeth 

 5, ovate-lanceolate, obtuse, 1-3 nerved, membranous at the margin. 

 Petals 5, larger than calyx. Stamens 10. Styles 3. Capsule 

 6-lobed. More crowded in structure than the former species and 

 with shorter leaves, but in cultivation it is said to merge into it. 



Damp limestone debris in the Alps. July. 



Distribution. Eastern, Central, and Western Alps, Bavaria. 



Mcehringia Ponce Fenzl. 



Stems elongated, tufted, 1-2 inches high. Leaves linear, obtuse, 

 shortly mucronate, nerveless, fleshy, glabrous, sea-green, all 

 cylindrical, or the upper ones flat on the upper side. Flower-stalks 



