Ceraftium femidecandrum. Leaft Moufe-ear Chlckweed. 



CERASTIUM Linnai Gen. PL Decandria Pentagynia* 



Cal. 5-phyllus. Petala bifida. Caps, tmilocukris, Spice dehifcens. 



RaiiSyn. Gen. 24. Herb,e pentafetalje vasculifer,e. 

 CERASTIUM femidecandrum floribus pentandris, petalis emarginatis. Lin. Syft. Ve«etab f) "6^ 



Sp. PL 627. FL Suecic. «.41.6. * l ° * " 



MYOSOTIS caule fimplici, foliis ovatis, hirfutis, tubis ternis. Haller. bill. n. 894. 

 CENTUNCULUS femidecander. Scopoll FL Carniol. n. 549. 

 MYOSOTIS arvenfis hirfuta minor. Vaillant. tab. 30. fig. 2. 

 CERASTIUM hirfutum minus parvo flore. RaiiSyn.ed. 3./. xv. fig. 1, Hudfon. ed. 2. p. 200. Light f. p. 24 r. 



RADIX annua, fibrofa, albida. 



I ROOT annual, fibrous, of a whitifh colour. 



CAULIS in locis ficciflimis fimplex, biuncialis, erect-us ; | STALK in very dry places is fimple, uptight, and a- 



faepius vero ramofus, aut pluribus cauliculis ? 

 compofitus, ficut in icone exprimitur ; primo ' 

 vere cauliculi fupra muros aut terram expan- 

 duntur, tandem fubere£ti, triunciales, aut 

 etiam femipedales Hunt, colore purpurafcen- 

 te, et pilis glanduliferis veftiti. 



bout two inches high ; but more commonly 



is branched, or compofed of numerous fmall 



ftalks, as expreffed in the figure : thefe early 



in the fpring, are expanded on the walls or 



earth, finally become nearly upright, three 



inches, or fometimes even fix inches high, of 



^ a purpliih colour, and covered with hairs 



t having glands at their extremities. 



FOLIA radicalia oblongo-ovata, prope apicem dilata- | LEAVES near the root of an oblong oval fhape, dila- 



ta, acuta, puncto rufo terminata, bafi anguf- | ted near the top, terminating in a fharp red 



tata, connata, leviufcula, medio per longitudi- t point, narrower towards the bafe, and uni- 



nem lulcata, caulina ovata, villofa. | ting around the ftalk, nearly fmooth, and 



$ grooved down the middle : thofe. of the ftalk 



i oval and villous. 



BRACTE^ duas, concavae, yifcofae, membranamar- | FLORAL-LEAVES two, hollow, vifcous, and edged 



? with a membrane, placed under each divi- 



| fion of the ftalk. 



I ELOWERS white, ftanding on foot-ftalks, and form- 

 ing a kind of Corymbus. 

 FLOWER-STALKS villous, and thickened a little 



ginatae, fub fingula dichotomia caulis. 

 FLORES albi, pedunculati, fubcorymbofi. 



PEDUNCULI villofi, ad bafm paululum incraffati, 

 florefcente planta longitudine calycis, erecti ; 

 peracla florefcentia deorfum flectuntur, et du- 

 pio longiores evadunt, demum eriguntur. 



CALYX : Perianthium pentaphyllum, foliolis lan- 

 ceolatis, membrana acuminata Corolla lon- 

 giore terminatis, vifcofis, fig. 1, 2. 



CALYX 



at bottom, while the plant is in flower the 

 length of the Calyx, and upright, the flower- 

 ing over they are bent backward, and become 

 twice as long, finally they again become up- 

 right. 



: a Perianthium of five leaves, lanceolate, 

 vifcous, and terminated by a pointed mem- 

 brane, which is longer "than the Corolla, 

 fig. 1, 2. 



* jig . 1 , z » 



COROLLA: Petala quinque, oblonga, calyce bre- | COROLLA: five Petals, which are oblong, and 



viora, apice acute emarginata, faepe erofa, | 

 fig- 3' 4- % 



STAMINA: Filamenta plerumque quinque, fubin- I 

 de fex, raro plura, alba, Corolla bre viora 

 Antherje fubrotundae, flavefcentes, fig. 5 



PISTILLUM : Germen ovatum : Styli quinque, 

 capillares, albi, villofi: Stigmata fimpli- 

 cia, fig. 6, 7. 



PERICARPIUM : Capsula membranacea, fcariofa, 

 quinquenervis, ore decemdentato, fig. 8. 



SEMINA plurima, minima, ovata, flavefcentia,/^. 9, 

 10. 



fhorter than the Calyx, fharply cut in at top, 

 and often appearing jagged, fig. 3, 4. 



STAMINA : Filaments generally five, now and 

 then fix, leldom more, white, fhorter than 

 the Corolla : Anthers nearly round, of a 

 yellowifh colour, fig. 5. 



PISTILLUM: Germen oval: Styles five, very fine, 

 white, and villous: Stigmata fimple, fig. 6, 



7- 

 SEED-VESSEL, a membranous Capsule, lbnorous 

 when touched, having five ribs, the mouth, 

 opening with ten teeth, fig. 8. 

 SEEDS numerous, very minute, oval and yellowifh, 

 fig- 9> 10 - 



MUCH praife is due to the great Linn^us, for the accuracy with which he has defcribed the more common 

 Cerafiiums, and particularly the prefent fpecies. To Monfieur Vaillant the public are alfo much indebted, for 

 the accurate and elegant figures, which he has given of them in his Flora Parifie?ifis. 



In the third edition of Ray's Synop/is, the femidecandrum is added by Dillenius, who has there given a figure 

 of it, which, although expreffive of the plant as it commonly grows on heaths, yet tends to miflead the ftudent 

 with an idea, that minutenefs is its chief charaaeriftic : the defcription alfo has a fimilar tendency. It fays, that 

 the ftalks are not vifcous, and that it flowers fomewhat later than the vifcofum ; whereas in both, the ftalks are 

 evidently vifcous towards the upper part ; the femidecandrum alfo flowers equally early ; and inftead of being lefs 

 branched, as is there aflerted, it is in a common way more fo. It is true that both fpecies, when they grow in 

 very barren places^ (and in which this fpecies feems chiefly to have been fought for,) have only a fimple ftalk, 

 and often do not arife to the height of two inches. 



Thefemidecandrum is a much more common plant than is generally imagined ; and is diftinguifhed, particularly 

 when in bloflbm, from all the other Cerqftiums with the greateft facility. 



There is fcarce a wall or heath around town, • on which this plant may not be found in abundance ; particularly 

 about Hackney ; as alfo under Greenwich Park Wall, facing Black-heath, as well as on the heath itfelf. It comes 

 into bloflom foon after the Braba verna, and, like that plant, foon difappears. 



It may be diftinguifhed from the Cerafiiums, when in bloflbm, by having only five ftamina, whence its name. 

 I have fometimes found more ; but this number is fufficiently conftant to form a very good fpecific character. 

 Linn^us remarks its having ten ftamina, five of which produce no Antherae : thefe I muft confefs never to have 

 feen. ^ Scopoli obferves, that he always found it with ten ftamina, and attributes the want of Antherae in Lin- 

 N^us's five, to the five exterior ones quickly lofing their Antherae. It is poflible that in Carniola, this plant may 

 occur with ten ftamina; but here, like the Alfine, it certainly lofes one half of them. 



_ The petals form a more invariable character, being always fhorter than the calyx, acutely cut in at top, as if a 

 piece had been taken out with a pair of fciflars, and frequently irregularly jagged or gnawed: they are alfo much 

 broader than thofe of the Cerafiium vifcofum. 



The calyx too is often of confiderable ufe in determining this fpecies, (as it may be obferved when neither the fta- 

 mina or petals are vilible,) at leaft from the vulgatum, its leaves being very thickly covered with hairs, having 

 glands at their extremities, vid. fig. 1, 2. which glands are altogether wanting in the vulgatum. The membrane 

 alfo, which terminates the leaves of the calyx, is remarkably long in this fpecies. 



Thefe xircumftances, if attended to, together with the remarks to be hereafter made on the Cerafiium vulgatum? 

 will, it is hoped, enable the ftudent to inveftigate thefe plants, and fix them with certainty. 

 No virtues are attributed to it : and it is too inconfiderable to be noxious in agriculture. 



