Silene.] caryophyllace^. 



63 



the glutinous panicle, gives the plant a shabby diseased appearance in the flower- 

 border. 



4. S. noctiflora, L. Night-floivering Catchfly. " Panicle forked 

 or flowers terminal, petals bifid crowned, calyx with long subulate 

 teeth, oblong in fruit with 10 connected hairy ribs, leaves lanceo- 

 late, lower ones spathulate, capsule ovate." — Br. Fl. p. 60. E. B. 

 t. 391. 



In sandy or gravelly fields, amongst corn, turnips, &c. M. July, August. 0. 

 E. Med.— In a turnip-field close to Yaverland farm-house, Albert Hamlrough, 

 Esq. 



*** Stems simple or slightly branched. Flowers in leafy racemes, alternate. 



5. S. anglica, L. English Catchfly. " Hairy and viscid, petals 

 (small) crowned slightly bifid or obovate entire, calyces with seta- 

 ceous teeth ovate in fruit." — Br. Fl. p. 58. E. B. t. 1178. 



a. auiumnalis. Stem difi'use or procumbent ; pedicels finally (in fruit) deflexed. 



j3. stricta. Stem erect ; capsules on diverging, not deflexed pedicels. 



In cultivated fields, particularly on light sandy soils ; very frequent. Fl. June 

 — November. Fr. August— October. 0. 



a. I find pretty constantly in fieldsabout Quarr Abbey and the Fish-houses, 

 which in certain years are quite over-run with it, and the next scarcely to be seen. 

 Amongst turnips at Nettlestone green, 1838. Turnip-field between Ninham and 

 Longland farms. Gurnet bay. Turnip-fields about Piles and Athersfield. 



fi. In light sandy soil, amongst oats, at the upper end of Colwell heath, in great 

 plenty, 18.'?8. Turnip-field on the farm at Kite hill by Wootton bridge, abun- 

 dantly, 1838. 



Fields between Lake, Sandown and Shanklin. Near Princelaid, B. T. W. 

 Near Newport, Curtis, B. 6. Very common about Shanklin, Mr. J. Woods, jun.., 

 in ditto. Perhaps these stations include both varieties!!! 



Flowers whitish, faint purple or bluish coloured towards the centre. Calyx 

 thickly clothed with long white hairs ; lowermost capsules moderately diverging, 

 but not deflexed. Petals with mostly a shallow notch, sometimes entire or slightly 

 crenate, oblong, rounded. Capsule small, about \ of an inch long, hard, yellowish, 

 ovoid, somewhat pointed, faintly lobed or furrowed, glabrous, the surface glazed 

 and shining with minute, transverse, pellucid, wave-like wrinkles, about equal to 

 and stipitate within the closely encasing calyx, opening at the summit by 6 or 

 8 short slightly recurved teeth, imperfectly 3-celled. Seeds numerous, grayish 

 black, kidney-shaped, compressed and concentrically hollowed laterally, beauti- 

 fully covered with closely set rows of tubercular points. 



The var. fi., which from descriptions given by authors I have no hesitation in 

 referring to S. gallica, L., has the stem perfectly upright, simple in the smaller, 

 more or less branched in the larger plants, the branches erect or diverging, quite 

 different from the lax, spreading, decumbent growth of S. anglica as that species 

 usually presents itself. Mertens and Koch (Rohl. Deutschl. Fl. and Koch, Syn. 

 Fl. Germ, et Helv.) unite Silene gallica, anglica, and quinquevulnera, and appa- 

 rently with justice, for whoever will be at the trouble of comparing the descrip- 

 tions of the three as given by different authors, will perceive how conflicting are 

 the characters laid down for each. The very diffuse- procumbent stem of S. 

 anglica is the chief mark of that species, which is commonly found growing 

 amongst turnips, potatoes or clover. The upright more rigid habit points out S. 

 gallica, from which S: quinquevulnera appears merely to differ in the red stains 

 on the petals, which can never enter into the specific character, and are to be 

 more or less traced in all three. The two last are rather corn -plants, and 

 probably owe their diffei:ence of appearance from our S. anglica to the joint 

 influence of soil and situation. I have seen S. anglica from various and Widely 

 distant parts of the world. 



