PINK FAMILY. Caryophyllaceae. 



PINK FAMILY. Caryophyllaceae. 



A large family, widely distributed, most abundant it 

 the northern hemisphere, including both the handsoni' 

 Pinks and the insignificant Chickweeds. They are herbs 

 with regular, mostly perfect flowers, with four or five sepals 

 usually with four or five petals, sometimes with none 

 stamens as many, or twice as many, as the petals; ovarj 

 superior, one-celled; styles two to five in number; fruit 

 capsule, containing several or many, kidney-shaped seeds 

 opening by valves, or by teeth, at the top ; leaves opposite 

 toothless; stems usually swollen at the joints. The nam< 

 Pink comes from the petals of some kinds being cut int( 

 points, or "pinked." 



There are numerous kinds of Arenaria, widely dis 

 tributed, difficult to distinguish, with small, white flowers 

 with five petals, usually not notched, ten stamens anc 

 usually three styles; leaves usually long and narrow, ofter 

 stiff and growing in tufts; capsule roundish, splitting intc 

 usually three valves, each with two parts. These plants 

 often grow in dry, sandy places, some at very high altitudes 

 some by the sea, hence the Latin name meaning "sandy/ 

 and the common one, Sandwort. 

 Fendler's Sand- This has pretty little white flowers 

 wort about half an inch across, and is variable 



ArenMa Fendleri Sometimes the stem is roughish, onl 

 three or four inches tall, springing from a 

 Utah, Ariz., etc. tu ^ ^ small leaves, stiff and almos 

 prickly. Sometimes the stem is smooth 

 six or eight inches tall, and the leaves resemble rather fine 

 stiff grass. This grows on dry hills and mountains, up t( 

 thirteen thousand feet, from Nebraska and Wyoming tc 

 Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. 



There are many kinds of Silene, widely distributed, 

 more or less sticky plants, hence the common name, 

 Catchfly; flowers mostly rather large; calyx inflated 01 

 tubular, with five teeth; petals five, with long claws, which 

 often have scales at the top, forming a "crown"; stamens 

 ten; styles usually three; capsule opening by three or sis 

 teeth at the tip ; seeds numerous. 



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