126 THE PINK FAMILY, 



the situation ia drier. Leaves rather small, thicker near the sea, more 

 viscid in hot situations. Stamens usually about 5, but often more. Cap- 

 sules usually long. Very common in dry, poor, open situations. 



d. Fow-stamened C. {C.tetrandrum). Like the last, but more branched, 

 and the parts of the flower usually reduced to fours. Pedicels often long. 

 Less common than the two last, and generally near the sea. 



2. Field Cerast. Cerastium arvense, Linn. 

 (Eng. Bot. t. 93.) 



Stem perennial, and much branched at the base, often very intricate and 

 prostrate ; the flowering branches ascending to about 6 inches, or more when 

 very luxuriant. Leaves crowded in the lower parts, narrow, lanceolate- 

 linear, more glabrous and less viscid than in the common C. Flowers large 

 and white, in loose cymes, on ratlier long pedicels. Sepals near 3 lines 

 long. Petals twice that length, cleft to near the middle. Capsule oblique, 

 usually longer than the calyx. 



In dr'y, hilly fields, pastures, and banks, throughout Europe and Russian 

 Asia, except the extreme north, in North America, and down the Andes of 

 South America. In numerous locahties in Britain, but not at all common. 

 Ft. sprinff and early s%t,mmer. 



3. Alpine Cerast. Cerastium alpinum, Linn. 

 (Eng. Bot. t. 472 ; and C. latifolium, Eng. Bot. t. 473.) 



Stems shortly perennial, mucli branched, prostrate, and rooting at the 

 base ; the flowering branches ascending to a few inches, with one or two 

 large flowers on long peduncles : the whole plant nearly glabrous, or more 

 frequently covered with long woolly hairs, and occasionally viscid. Leaves 

 ovate, elliptical, or oblong, always broader for their length than in the 

 field C. Petals rather longer than in that species. Capsule not much 

 longer than the calyx, straight or nearly so. 



In alpine, moist pastures, and wet, rocky situations, in aU the great 

 mountain-ranges of Europe and Russian Asia, and all round the Arctic 

 Cu'cle. Pretty abundant in the Highlands of Scotland, less so in northern 

 England, and rare in Wales ; not recorded from Ireland. Fl. summer. 

 The nearly glabrous form, figured Eng. Bot. t. 472, which is the C. alpinum 

 of most Continental botanists, is not so common in Britain as the woolly 

 one figured as C. latifolium, Eng. Bot. t. 473, which is the C. lanattim of 

 some foreign botanists. The C. latifolium of the Alps of central Europe is 

 not a British plant. 



4. Star'wort Cerast. Cerastium trigynum, YiU, 

 {Stellaria cerastoides, Eng. Bot. t. 911.) 



Stems shortly perennial, prostrate and intricately branched, but much 

 more slender than in the alpine C. ; the whole plant glabrous, with the ex- 

 ception of minute hairs down one side of the branches, or rai-ely generally 

 hairy. Leaves narrow, and usually curved to one side. Flowering branches 

 shortly ascendhig, with one or two large flowers, on rather long peduncles, 

 Uke those of the alpine C. ; but the styles are almost always reduced to 3, 

 very seldom flowers may be found with 4 or even 5, the teeth of the capsule 

 always double the number of the styles. 



In moist, alpine situations, in all the great mountain-ranges of Europe 

 and Russian Asia to the Arctic Circle. Not unfrequent in the Breadalbane 



