PINK FAMILY 



77 



of which are rather difficult to separate from corn ; less common 

 than formerly. — t'l. June — August. Annual 



5. Sagi'na (Pearl-wort). — Very small tufted plants with awl- 

 shaped leaves united at their bases ; small stalked tetramerous or 

 jjentamerous y/wcf^ji ; petals shorter than the sepals, sometimes 

 minute or absent ; ovules many. (Name in Latin signifying 

 fattening meat, totally inapplicable to these minute plants.) 



* Sepals, stamens, styles, and valves of capsules 4: 

 petals minute or absent 



1. S. marithna (Sea Pearl-wort). — A creeping, ascending, 

 glabrous filant ; stem slender and forked, with long internodes, 

 brittle, often reddish ; leaves fleshy, blunt or apiculate ; pedicels 

 erect; sepals broad, blunt, with incurved tips, sub-erect in fruit. — 

 Sea-shores ; common. — Fl. May — September. Annual. 



2. S. apetala (Annual Pearl-wortJ. — Bra'nches slight, hairy, 

 ascending; leaves linear, awned, ciliate at the .base ; pedicels erect; 

 sepals blunt, spreading in fruit in the form of a cross. — Dry places. 

 — Fl. May — September. Annual. 



3. J>. cilldta (Ciliate Pearl- wort). — Nearly glabrous, prostrate ; 

 leaves linear, awned, ciliate ; sepals adpressed to the ripe capsule. 

 — Heaths and dry places. — Fl. May, June. Annual. 



4. 5. proci'iinheiis (Procumbent Pearl-wort). — Glabrous, pros- 

 trate ; branches spreading from 

 a central rosette : leaves usually 

 fascicled, linear, awned ; pedi- 

 cels curved downwards after 

 flowering, but afterwards erect ; 

 sepals sometimes 5, spreading 

 in fruit. — AV'ell known to gar- 

 deners as a troublesome and 

 prolific weed in gravel paths. — 

 F'l. all the summer. Perennial. 



5. 6'. i?i'i'i/// (Braemar Pearl- 

 wort). — Glabrous, densely 

 tufted, forming cushions ; in- 

 ternodes very short ; leaves recurved ; peduncles short, erect : 

 4 or 5, always erect ; petals absent ; capsule globose. — A very 

 distinct form, found in Braemar. Perennial; 



'^'* Sepals, petals, styles, and valves of capsules usually 5 : 

 stamens la ; petals at least half as long as sepals. 



6. 5. saginoides (Alpine Pearl-wort) distinguished from S. 

 proaimbens'hy its longer petals, 10 stamens and sepals adpressed 



SAGINA rnocrMBE.NS, 



sepals 



