WEEDS OP THE PINK FAMILY. 79 



Frequent in light or sandy «oils, especially in grain fields or 

 waste places. Apr.-Sept. The stem is dark and viscid or sticky at 

 or just below each joint and the flowers open for a short time only 

 in sunshine. The seeds are frequent among those of clover or 

 grass and in southwestern Indiana the plant is very common in 

 wheat and rye. Remedies : sowing clean seed ; pulling when not 

 too common, to prevent the ripening of the seed ; increased fertili- 

 zation. 



The sticky cockle or night-flowering catchfly (S. noctiflora L.) 

 having 3 styles and large yellowish-white or pinkish petals, and the 

 white cockle or white campion (Lychnis alba Mill.) with 5 styles 

 and pure white petals, are two other members of the family re- 

 corded from the State which may develop into troublesome weeds, 

 as they have done elsewhere. Both have sticky stem-joints and 

 large blossoms which open only at night. 



"In addition to the sticky gum the stem of these catchflies is 

 more or less covered with fine hairs, both of which characters aid 

 them in baffling unwelcome wingless visitors, while the long tubes of 

 the corollas effectually keep out all flying insects except the few T 

 whose visits the plants desire. As if so many precautions were not 

 enough the mouths of the tubes above the stamens are obstructed 

 by five little valves or scales, one being attached to the claw of each 

 petal. These scales can be easily bent down by the large and long 

 proboscis of bees and moths but not by the little thieving flies 

 against whose incursions the flowers are so anxious to guard them- 

 selves." — Grant Allen. 



89. Sapoxaiua officinalis L. Bouncing Bet. Soapwort. Hedge Pink. 



(r. i. 2.) 



Erect, smooth, sparingly branched. 1-2 feet high; leaves ovate or oval. 

 2-3 inches long, 1 inch wide. Flowers large, showy, pinkish or white, in 

 dense terminal clusters. Seeds black, smooth, kidney-shaped with a beak 

 1/10 inch long. (Fig. 10, a.) 



Throughout the State, escaped from gardens and rapidly be- 

 <i lining an annoying weed, especially in sandy cultivated fields and 

 along banks and railways. June-Sept. This buxom country 

 cousin of the carnation spreads by underground stems and is 

 therefore difficult to eradicate. The juice of the stem, when mixed 

 with water, produces a soapy effect and has cleansing qualities, 

 whence the generic name. Remedies: mowing twice each season 

 for a year or two just before flowering; salting in early spring; 

 cultivation, especially hoeing. 



