Cerastium aquaticum. Marsh Cerastium or 

 Mouse-ear Chickweed. 



CERASTIUM L'mnai Gen. PL Decandria Pentagynia. 



Rail Sy nop. Gen: 24 Herb^e pentapetalte vasculifer^:. 

 CERASTIUM aquaticum foliis cordatis, feffilibus, floribus folitariis, fructibus pendulis. Linntei Syfi. 



Vegetal, p. 363. FL Suecic. p. 157. 

 ALSINE foliis ovato-cordatis, imis petiolatis, tubis quinis. Mailer, hift. n. 885, 

 STELLARIA aquatica. Scopoli FL Carniol. p. 320. 

 ALSINE aquatica major. Bauhln. pin. 254. 

 ALSINE major. Gerard emac. 611. maxima Parkin/on 759. RaiiSyn.p. 347. Hudfon FL AngL p. 177. 



RADIX perennis, rlbrofa, repens. ? ROOT perennial, fibrous, and creeping. 



CAULES bipedales, debiles, pene teretes, teneri, filofi, £ STALKS about two feet in length, weak, almoft round, 

 hirfuti, ramofi, rami alterni. | tender, ftrin gy, hirfute, and branched, the 



I branches alternate. 



FOLIA Caulis feffilia, amplexicaulia, cordato-acumi- i LEAVES of the Stalk feffile, embracing the Stalk, 



nata, margine in fuperioribus prefertim undu- | fomewhat heart fhaped and acuminate, the 



lata, laevia, fubvifcida ; ramorum magis undu- f edge particularly in the upper ones waved, 



lata, petiolata. | fmooth, and fomewhat vifcid ; thofe of the 



branches more waved with fhort footftalks. 



PEDUNCULI 



CULI alterni, e dichotomia caulis, unifiori, t FOOTSTALKS alternate, from the forking of the 

 poft jlorejcentiam penduli. | Stalk, uniflorous, after the blojfom is gone off 



I pendulous. 



CALYX: PERiANTHiuMpentaphyllum,perfiftens, folio- J CxALYX : a Prianthium of five leaves, perfifting, the 

 lis lanceolatis, concavis, iubcarinatis, apice | leaves lanceolate, concave, (lightly keel-fhaped, 



obtufiufculis, hirlutis, margine membranaceis, I bluntifh at top, hirfute, at the edge membra- 



petalis paulo brevioribus. Jig. I. .| nous, and a little fhorter than the Petals, Jig. 1. 



COROLLA: Petala quinque alba, patentia, bipartita, | COROLLA: five Petals white, fpreading, divided 

 laciniis oblongis, nervofis, divaricantes, fig. 2. 3. | almofl to the bottom, the laciniae or fegments 



f oblong, nervous, and divaricating, Jig. 2. 3. 



STAMINA : Fil amenta decern, fubulata, alba, re- f STAMINA : ten Filaments, tapering, white, fixed 



ceptaculo inferta, ad bafin et inter petala alterne % to the receptacle, placed alternately, one at the 



locata, fig. 4. qua? inter petala locantur paulo | bafe and one betwixt each petal, fig. 4 ; thofe 



longiora funt et glandula ad bafin inftruuntur | placed between the petals are a little longer than 



fig. 5. Anthers infidentes, biloculares, albae, % the others, and furnifhied at bottom with a gland, 



fin 4. I fig. 5. Anther/E white and bilocular, jig. 4. 



PISTILLUM: Germen fubrotundum, apice fulcatnm, % PISTILLUM : Germen roundifh, at top grooved, five 

 Styli quinque albi, filiformes, longitudine | Styles thread-fhaped, white, the length of 



Germinis. Stigmata fimplicia, fig. 6. 4 the Germen. Stigmata iimple, fig. 6. 



PERICARPIUM: Capsula ovata, obfolete pentagona, | SEED-VESSEL: an oval Capsule, (lightly pentangu- 

 ore quinquedentato. fig. 7. i lar, the mouth quinquedentate. 



T 



SEMINA rufa, fubreniforrnia, fcabra, 60 numeravi, | SEEDS reddifh brown, rough, about 60 in each capfule, 

 fig. 8. 9. i fig. 8. 9 . 



SOME of our modern and mod celebrated fyftematic Botanifls feem very much divided with refpecl to the Genus 

 to which this Plant fhould belong. Haller makes it an Atfineox Chickweed '; Scopoli a Stellaria, and Linnjeus a 

 Ceraftium. We fhall not pretend to decide who is moft in the right, but only obferve that its general habit or appear- 

 ance, and the form of its feeds, might eafily induce Haller to conlider it as an Alfine ; the lhape of its petals, with 

 the ftructure of its feeds, would juftify Scopoli in calling it a Stellaria, while the number of its (lyles might lead 

 Linnjeus with propriety to place it among the Cerajliums. To us it appears to have the greateft natural affinity with 

 the Alfine media or common Chickweed ; it is true Linn^us ranks that plant among thofe which have five Stamina, 

 yet it is frequeutly obferved to have more, and the ftrufture of the flower evidently mows it to be formed for having 

 ten, and thofe flowers which have not that number may be confidered as imperfect. The Seeds of thefe two plants 

 are fo fimilar as fcarcely to be diftinguiflied from each other, and their fralks are procumbent, tender, brittle, and 

 (Iringy, indeed they frequently fo much refemble one another, as to oblige the young Botanift to have recourfe to the 

 very different fize of their flowers in order to difcriminate them. 



This Plant grows in moift places, on the banks of rivers and by (beams of water, it flowers in July rmd Auguft. 



Scopoli aflerts that the plants of this kind afford excellent food for Kine. 



