90 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



Section III.— DICHODON. 



Sepals not acuminated. Petals obovate, deeply bifid. Stamens 

 10. Styles generally 3 (more rarely 4 or 5). Capsule generally 

 exscrted, straight, opening at the apex by twice as many erect or 

 spreading teeth as there are styles. 



SPECIES X.— CERA STIUM TRIGYNUM. Fill. 

 Plite CCXXVI. 



Dichodon cerastoides, Reich. Ic. Fl. Germ, et Helv. Vol. V. Caryoph. Tab. CCXXL 



Fig. 4915. 

 Stellaria cerastoides, Zt»». (S'm. Eng. Bot. No. 911. Koch, Syn. Fl. Germ, et Helv. 



ed. ii. p. 129. 



Eoot perennial. Rootstock much branched, producing numerous 

 very slender prostrate slightly-elongated barren shoots and decum- 

 bent or ascending flowering stems. Leaves of the barren shoots 

 oblanceolate or elliptical-linear ; those of the flowering shoots gene- 

 rally broader. First pair of bracts not much smaller than the 

 stem-leaves, narrowly-lanceolate, entirely herbaceous ; secondary 

 bracts very much shorter than the flowering pedicels, broadly- 

 lanceolate, entirely herbaceous. Flowei's of the cyme generally fcAV, 

 frequently reduced to 1. Sepals lanceolate, obtuse, with broad 

 scarious margins, the herbaceous part with a few short gland-tipped 

 hairs, or occasionally glabrous. Petals twice as long as the sepals, 

 obovate, bifid. Fruit-stalks much longer than the calyx, erect. 

 Capsule ovate-ovoid, straight, nearly twice as long as the calyx. 

 Seeds yellowish-brown, covered with small very acute tubercles. 

 Stem glabrous, or with short gland-tijiped pubescence, especially 

 towards the top ; leaves quite glabrous. 



On damp rocks on high mountains. Eare. Ben Lawers, in 

 Perth shu-e ; Ben Nevis and Pi-ed Cairn, Inverness-shire ; Cairn 

 Gorum, Cairn Towl, Ben Macdhui, Bcn-na-bourd, Braemar, Aber- 

 deenshire. In the " British Flora " it is said to occur near Bantry, 

 Ireland ; but I know not on what authority. 



England, Ireland ?, Perennial. Summer and Autumn. 



Somewhat creeping, growing in loose straggling tufts, with the 

 stems bare of leaves at the base ; the barren shoots 2 to 6 inches 

 long, with rather distant leaves. Flowering stems 2 to 4 inches 

 high, with the leaves often falcate and sub-sccund. F1ow.ts about 

 ^ inch across, white. Sepals more spreading while in flower than in 



