92 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



ones sessile. FloAvers numerous, in dichotomous cymes termi- 

 nating the stem and branches. Sepals lanceolate, rather obtuse, 

 faintly 1-nervcd, with broad scarious margins, the herbaceous part 

 ■flith short gland-tipped hairs. Fi'uit-stalks spreading or reilexed. 

 Capsule drooping, longer than the sepals, ovate-conical. Stem with 

 short gland-tipped hairs. 



By the borders of rivers and ditches, and in damp hedges and 

 thickets. Rather uncommon. Pretty widely distributed in England 

 as far North as Yorkshire and Cheshire, but not known to occur in 

 Scotland. 



England. Perennial. Summer and Autumn. 



Stems much branched, very brittle, decumbent or supporting 

 themselves on bushes and other neighbouring objects, 1 to 3 feet 

 long, with numerous shorter barren shoots at the base. Leaves 

 of the barren shoots and lower part of the stem generally stalked, 

 hi'oadly ovate, truncate or inclining to heart-shaped at the base ; 

 those on the flowering stem (excei)t the lowest) sessile, oval or 

 ovate. Elowers Avhite, about ^ inch across, very numerous, in 

 regular dichotomous cymes terminating the stem and branches, 

 the wliole forming an irregular panicle. Sepals lanceolate, rather 

 obtuse. Petals longer than the sepals, bipartite, with narrowly 

 oblong diverging lobes. Stamens 10. Eruit pedicels much longer 

 than the sepals, at first slightly reflexed after flowering, at length 

 spreading horizontally and hooked downwards at the end. Capsule 

 about one-third or one-fourth longer than the calyx, broadly ovate- 

 ovoid, conical to^^ards the apex, which splits into 5 valves reaching to 

 about the middle of the capsule, each valve divided for a short way 

 down into 2 lobes. Seeds -pale orange-brown, rugose, with vesicular 

 papillse. "Whole ])lant light yellowish-green, viscous, clothed with 

 short gland-tipped hairs. 



This plant bears much resemblance to Stellaria nemorum, and 

 to the lai'ge forms of S. media : from the former it may be distin- 

 guished by ils smaller flowers, decumbent diffusely-branched stem, 

 shorter barren shoots, and by having more of the leaves sessile ; 

 from the latter it can be known by its larger flowers, stamens 

 always 10, and by the stem being hairy all round ; from both by 

 the absence of articulated hairs, and by the profusion of gland- 

 tipped ones on its stem, as well as by the larger capsule with 5 

 styles, and opening by 5 bifid valves. 



Water ChickiceecL 



French, SteUaire Aquatiqiie. German, Wasser-Weichling. 



SuB-GExrs II.— EU-STELLARIA. Fenzl. 

 Styles 3. Capsule opening by 6 equal entire valves. 



