CARYOPHYLLACEiE. 37 



Plate 113. 



STELLARIA, L. 



Petala bifida, sen abortu minima v. nulla. Stamina 8, vel 

 10, V. abortu pauciora. Ovarium uniloculare. Styli saspius 

 3, Capsula ovoidea, in valvas duplo stylorum numero ultra 

 medium dehiscens. Semina estrophiolata. — Folia patentia, 

 exstipulata. 



Stellaria, Linn. Gen. 568 (excl. sp.). Gaertn. Fr. t. 130. Fenzl in 



Endl. Gen. 5240, & in Ledeb. Fl. Ross. 1. p. 375. 

 Spergulastrum, Michx. Fl. 1. p. 275. 

 Larbrea, St. Hil. in Mem. Mus. Par. 2. p. 261. 



Cliicliweed. Stitcliwort. Starwort. 



Calyx of five or sometimes four herbaceous sepals, united 

 only at the base, imbricated in aestivation, persistent. Pe- 

 tals as many as the sepals and alternate with them, more 

 or less perigynous, deciduous, two-cleft or two-parted, or 

 when small rarely entire, sometimes wanting. Stamens 

 twice as many as the sepals (8 or 10), or by abortion fewer 

 (3 to 5), inserted into a more or less manifest perigynous 

 disk : FILAMENTS subulate or filiform : anthers introrse, two- 

 celled, opening longitudinally. Ovary one-celled : styles 3 

 (respectively opposite the two outer sepals and the sinus 

 between the third and fifth), sometimes 4 or even 5, rarely 

 only 2, filiform, the whole inner face stigmatose. Ovules 

 numerous, borne on a more or less elongated central placenta, 

 amphitropous. 



Capsule membranaceous, globose or ovoid-oblong, one- 

 celled, splitting to the base or beyond the middle into twice 

 as many valves as there are styles, or at first into three valves 

 (placed as in Alsine) which are soon two-cleft. Seeds in- 

 definite, or sometimes very few, campylotropous, smooth or 

 granulated ; the hilum not strophiolate. Embryo coiled into 

 a complete ring, or nearly so, around the outside of the fari- 

 naceous albumen. 



