PINK FAMILY. 151 



Styles 5; capsule coriaceous, opening by 5 teeth; calyx-teeth conspicuously prolonged, 



exceeding the large petals, these without appendages 3. Agrostemma. 



Sepals distinct; petals spreading, without claws or appendages, or in a few species 

 wanting; stamens 3 to 5 or 10; ovary not stipitate; fruit a capsule; low herbs. 

 Stipules none. 



Petals retuse or bifid; styles 5, opposite the sepals 4. Cerastium. 



Petals parted almost to the base into narrow segments; styles 3 or 4.... 5. Stellaria. 



Petals entire ; styles 3 6. Arenaria. 



Petals entire or slightly emarginate, or none; styles 5, opposite the sepals 



7. Sagina. 

 Stipules present, scarious (setaceous in no. 11). 



Petals entire, mostly conspicuous (for the group). 



Styles 3, distinct ; leaves opposite 8. Spergularia. 



Styles 5, distinct; leaves apparently whorled 9. Spergula. 



Petals minute or none. 



Styles 3, short, united below; leaves opposite or in 4s, oblong or obovate 



10. Polycarpon. 

 Style short or none; leaves opposite, subulate, cuspidate 11. Loeflingia. 



B. Fruit a utricle or nutlet; stipules present. 



Sepals distinct or slightly united at base; petals none or represented by mere bristle-like 



organs; very small or prostrate herbs. 



Annual ; stipules and flowers minute 12. Herniaria. 



Perennial; stipules conspicuous, silvery-scarious. 



Leaves subulate; sepals very unequal, armed with a divergent spine.. 13. Pentacaena. 



Leaves oblanceolate; sepals equal, cuspidate 14. Paronychia. 



1. VACCARIA Medic. 



Glabrous glaucous annual with sessile exstipulate leaves and showy red 

 flowers in a broad, loose, flat-topped corymb. Calyx synsepalous, ovate, with 5 

 prominent angles. Petals 5, clawed, not appendaged. Stamens 10. Styles 2. 

 Ovary 1-celled but with rudimentary partitions at base. Capsule ovate, de- 

 hiscent at apex by 4 short teeth. (Latin vacca, cow, some species used for 

 fodder.) 



1. V. vulgaris Host. Cow Herb. Strictly erect, dichotomously branch- 

 ing above, 2 to 3 ft. high; leaves ovate, 3 or 4 in. long with cordate-clasping 

 base; flowers 7 to 9 lines long; petals red, the blade obcordate and claw linear. 



Grain-field weed naturalized from Europe: Berkeley Hills, Miss Hanscom 

 (1895); College City (Colusa Co.). 



2. SILENE L. Catch-fly. Campion. 

 Annual or perennial herbs, more or less viscid and mostly large-flowered. 

 Calyx tubular or inflated, 5-toothed. Petals 5, with long claws ; summit of the 

 claw commonly furnished with an entire or cleft scale or appendage, some- 

 times called a crown; blades spreading, entire or more commonly cleft or la- 

 ciniate. Stamens 10. Styles 3, rarely 4. Capsule opening by 3 or 6 teeth at 

 apex. (Greek sialon, saliva, the stems and other parts viscid.) 



Annuals. 



Flowers in cymes with unequal branches; pubescent throughout 1. S. multinervia. 



Flowers in a compound cyme; middle of some of the upper internodes with a viscid belt. 



2. .V. antirrhina. 



Flowers in a one-sided raceme; stems hirsute 3. S. gallica. 



Perennials. 



Flowers large, 1 in. broad or more, scarlet; blade of petals deeply cleft, the segments 



bifid with entire or toothed lobes 4. S. calif or nica. 



Flowers smaller, rose-color; blade of petals bifid to the middle, the lobes entire or 

 bearing a very small lateral tooth 5. S. verecunda. 



1. S. multinervia Wats. -Erect, about 1 ft. high; pubescent throughout, 

 viscid-glandular above; leaves linear- oblong; inflorescence cymose with un- 

 equal branches; calyx ovate in fruit, about 20-ribbed, the ribs equally promi- 



