72 Flora of the Palousc Rgieon 



mm. long: petals deeply 2-cleft, half as long as the sepals or wanting. Stony 

 hillsides, abundant. 



S. graminea h- Whole plant glabrous, shining: stems 4-angled, ascend- 

 ing, branched above, 35-60 cm. high: leaves sessile, lanceolate, acute, 2-3 

 cm. long: flowers in a loose much-forked cyme; bracts scarious, somewhat 

 ciliate; pedicels slender, spreading or reflexed: sepals lanceolate, acute, 3- 

 nerved, nearly equalling the capsule: petals 2-cleft, as long as the sepals: 

 Seeds minutely roughened. Very sparingly introduced. 



S. loilg'ipes Goldie. Somewhat tufted, with creeping rootstocks, smooth 

 and shining throughout: stems 4-angled, erect, 15-40 cm. high; branched 

 above: leaves linear-lanceolate, tapering from the base to the acute apex, 

 prominently i-nerved, 2-3 cm. long: flowers solitary or in very loose cymes; 

 bracts reduced and scarious or when the flowers are few or solitary foliace- 

 ous: pedicels slender, 2-10 cm. long: petals 2-cleft, exceeding the rather ob- 

 tuse sepals: capsule longer than the calyx: seeds smooth, shining. Moist 

 places, not rare. 



108. CERASTIUM. 



Annual or perennial, generally pubescent or hirsute herbs: 

 leaves flat, rarely subulate; stipules none: flowers in terminal 

 bracted diehotomous cymes: sepals 5 (in ours): petals 5, refuse or 

 bifid, very rarely subentire, white: stamens 10, sometimes fewer: 

 styles 5, sometimes 4, or 3, opposite the sepals: capsule cylindric, 

 1 celled, often curved, dehiscent by 10, rarely 8, apical teeth. 



Petals equalling the sepals. C. vulgatum. 



Petals longer than the sepals. C. arvense. 



C. vulgatum L. Perennial, viscid-pubescent throughout, tufted, 10-30 

 cm. high: leaves oblong, obtuse, or the upper ones acutish, 1-2.5 cni - long: 

 inflorescence loose, the pedicels longer than the calyx: sepals obtuse, 4-5 

 mm. long, as long as the 2-cleft petals; capsule curved, longer than the 

 calyx. A weed in lawns and pastures; introduced. 



C. arvense L- Perennial, tufted, pubescent throughout, or sometimes 

 nearly glabrous: stems weak, erect, 15-40 cm. tall, nearly naked above: 

 leaves linear or lanceolate, 2-3 cm. long: flowers cymose or slender, on 

 slender pedicels: sepals oblong, acute, 5-6 mm. long: petals deeply notched, 

 twice as long as the sepals. In low places, infrequent. 



109. ARENARIA. 



Annual or perennial mainly tufted herbs: leaves sessile, often 

 subulate and more or less rigid; stipules none: flowers white, 

 cymosely panicled or capitate, rarely solitary and axillary: sepals 

 5: petals 5, very rarely minute or wanting, entire or emarginate, 

 white or nearly so: stamens 10, or often fewer: styles generally 3, 

 rarely 2-5: capsule globose or oblong, dehiscent at the apex by as 

 many or twice as many valves as there are styles, 



