n CARYOPHYLLACEiE 111 



being thus rendered more accessible, the flowers, though 

 generally small, are much visited by insects, especially flies 

 and the smaller species of bees. The normal number of 

 stamens is 10, but there are often fewer. Generally it is 

 the inner circle, or some of them, which have disappeared ; 

 but in some cases not only the inner circle but some 

 even of the outer have disappeared; Stellaria media 

 (Chickweed), for instance, has generally only 3 instead 

 of 5. The disappearance is sometimes complete, but 

 sometimes rudiments, more or less developed, still remain. 

 The pistil, however, is always present. In some cases 

 the complete and female flowers are on the same, some- 

 times on different, plants. As usual, the female flowers 

 are smaller than those which possess stamens. As in the 

 preceding subfamily, the anthers of the outer stamens 

 generally open before those of the inner circle. The 

 pistil generally ripens after the anthers. Most of the 

 species secrete honey at the base of the petals. The 

 flowers have a tendency to close in wet and gloomy 

 weather, and present many gradations towards cleisto- 

 gamy. Stellaria media, var. pallida, has in some 

 neighbourhoods become completely cleistogamous. 



Arenaria 



A. serpyllifolia. — Bentham and Hooker describe this 

 species as an annual, and so, no doubt, in Britain it is ; 

 but on the summit of the Pyrenees it is said to live 

 for several years. 



Sagina 



The flowers are small and solitary. The petals are 

 sometimes absent. 



S. procumbens has 4, rarely 5, sepals and petals, 

 with a corresponding number of stamens. The stamens 

 have nectaries at the base. The flowers are often, per- 

 haps generally, self-fertilised. They are visited by 

 CoUembola, ants, and other small insects. 



S. Linnsei, on the contrary, is slightly protogynous. 

 It is larger than the preceding species. The petals. 



