Spergula saginoides; Pearlwort Spurrey. 



SPERGULA Lin. Gen. PI. Decandria Pentagynia. 



Cal. 5 phyllus. Peta/a 5, Integra» Cap/, ovata, i-locularis, 5-valvii 



Raii Syn. Gen. 24. Herb/£ pentapeTal^ vasculIferje. 



SPERGULA /aginoides foliis oppofitis linearibus Iambus, peduriculis folitariis longiffimis, caule repente, 

 Lin. Syji. Vegetab. p. 363. Sp. PL 631. 



ALSINE tenuifolia pediculis florum longiffimis. Vaillant Botan. Paris, p. 8. a. \i. 



SPERGULA laricina foliis oppofitis fubulatis ciliatis fafciculatis', floribus peiitandris. Hudjon Fl. AngU 

 ed. 2: p. 203. 



SPERGULA laricina. Lightfoot FL Scot. p. 224. 



SAXIFRAGA graminea pufilla foliis brevioribus craffioribus et fucculentioribus. Rait Syn. p. 345 ? 



RADIX perennis, fibrofa. % ROOT perennial and fibrous. 



CAULES ex una radice plures, pollicares aut bipolli- 1 STALKS, feveral arife from one root, an inch or two 

 cares., ball procumbentes, et ut plurimum re- % in length, procumbent, and generally creeping 



pentes, ramofi, teretes, pilis brevibus glandu- 1 at bottom, branched, round, covered with 



liferis vix confpicuis veftiti. % (hort glandular hairs, fcarcely vifible. 



FOLIA radicalia femipollicaria, linearia, acuta, mucrone | LEAVES next the root about half an inch in length, 

 albido terminata, faturate viridia, glabra, fub- % linear, (harp and terminated by a whitifh 



carnofa, fuperne nuda, inferwe et ad oras pilofa, | point or briftle, of a deep green colour, fome- 



pilis glanduliferis ; caulina breviora, connata, | what mining, and rather flefhy, on the upper 



planiufcula, fubfecunda. jig. 1. fide fmooth, on the under fide, and at the 



I edge, hairy, the hairs terminated by little 



% glands, thofe of the ftalk fhorter, growing 



I together at the bafe, llattifh, and tending fome- 



% what one way. Jig. 1. 



PEDUNCULI fuberecl:!, fimplices, pollicares et ultra, | FLOWER-STALKS fomewhat upright, fimple, an 

 teretes, ex fufco purpurafcentes, apice nutantes. y inch or more in length, round, of a brownifh 



% purple colour, nodding at top. 



FLORES albi, pulchelli. | FLOWERS white and pretty. 



CALYX: Perianthium pentaphyllum, perfiftens, fo- % CALYX : a Perianthium of five leaves, permanent, 



liohs ovato-oblongis, concavis, obtufis, vifci- I the leaves oval, hollow, obtufe, fomewhat 



dulis, margine membranaceis. Jig. 2. % vifcid, the edge membranous, jig.. 2. 



COROLLA : Petala quinque, alba, longitudine ca- | COROLLA : five white Petals, the length of the 



lycis, fubrotunda, integerrima, patentia. fig. 3. % calyx, of a roundifh fhape, entire at the edge 



I and fp reading, jig. 3. 



STAMINA: Fil amenta quinque ad decern, faepius | STAMINA : Filaments from five to ten, but moil 



vero quinque, fubulata, longitudine germinis ; % 'commonly five, tapering, the length of the 



Anthers parvre, luteae. Jig. 4. 1 germen ; Anthers fmall and yellow, fig. 4. 



PISTILLUM : Germen obovatum ; Styli plerumque % PISTILLUM : Germen inverfely ovate ; Styles ge- 



quinque, filiformia, villofa, reflexa ; Stig- 1 nerally five, thread- fhaped, villous and turned 



mata fimplicia. fig. 5. % back; Stigmata fimple. fig. 5. 



PERICARPIUM : Capsula uni-locularis, quinque- 1 SEED-VESSEL : a Capsule of one cavity, and three 



valvis, calyci infidens. | valves fitting on the calyx, fig. 6. 



SEMINA plurkna, minima, fufca, ad lentem punctata. % SEEDS numerous, very fmall and brown, appearing 

 fig. 7, 8. * dotted when magnified, fig. 7, 8. 



We are led to confider this plant as the Spergula /aginoides of Linnaeus, from its according exactly with a 

 minute defcription given of it by Vaillant in his Botanicon Pqrifienfe*, to which the former refers, and fnrely 

 no name was ever more aptly applied, for did not its confpicuous petals proclaim it, it might for ever have palled 

 for the Sagina procumbens ; thefe lead us to the plant, and examination proves it to be a Spergula, inconftant in- 

 deed like many other plants in the number of its ftamina. 



In its generic character this fpecies of Spergula differs in number only from the Sagina procumbens, it agrees 

 particularly with it in the form of its capfules, fize, and fhape of its feeds, but two obvious fpecinc characters 

 at once diilinguifh them, thefe are the fize of the petals, and the peculiar hairinefs of the whole plant ; in the 

 Sagina procumbens the petals are very fmall, being much fiSorter than the calyx, whence they are inconfpicuous ; 

 iu the Spergula they are of the fame length as the calyx, and, when expanded, become very confpicuous ; the 

 Sagina procumbens (which mufl not be confounded with the apetala Linnjei) is fmooth, while the Spergula has its 

 ftalks, leaves, peduncles and calyx covered with fhort hairs, having little globules at their extremities, and which 

 are very diftinguifhable when magnified. 



It is not uncommon on Putney Heath, and in fimilar fituations about Coomb Wood, Surry ; Dr. Goodenough 

 difcovered it plentifully on Bagfijot Heath, efpecially on fome banks thrown up on Potnell Warren, near the great 

 Bog at Virginia Water ; Mr. Lightfoot (hewed it me feveral years ago on Uxbridge Moor ; and Mr. Hudson 

 mentions it as growing about Cobham and E/her in Surry. It flowers from June to Auguft. 



* Cette plante a le port Sc les feuilles de 1' Aljme minima jiore fugaci. J. R. H. mais elle s'eleve plus haut. Les tiges et les pedicules des fleurs 

 font ordinaiicment brunes. Sa fleur n'a qu' environ 2 lignes de diametre. Elle eft a 5 petales blancs, entiers ronds, qui ne debordent point le 

 calicc & qui font oppofe a fes cantons. Le piftile eft un petit bouton tirant fur 1'ovale, vert pale, furmonte de 5 ftiles blancs, courts difiofz en 

 etoile, & eutoure de 10 Etamines blanches ainfy que leurs fommets. Ces Etamines n'ont p:s une ligne de long. Le calice tft parfeme de petits 

 poils tres courts. II eft decoupe en etoil a 5 parties egales. Cette plante ne s'eleve que depuis 2 jufqu'a 4 pouces, elle pouffe ordinairement 

 plufieurs tiges de fa racine, lefquelles fe couchent d'abord fur la terre, & font droites dans- le reft de leur longuer. Ses feuilles font lifTes, v;rtes, 

 roides, dures et refemblent aflez bien a ceiles du Knawel ou de \ Jlfme minima flare fugaci. Elle commence a fleurir vers la fin de May be 

 continue en Juin cc Juillet. Elle fe trouve dans les f i'ches qui font au de la St. Leger cntre la foreft et le Village de St. Lucien le long du 

 cbemin. Elle n'a que le gouft d'herbe. Son fruit s'ouvre ordinairement en 4 & quelquefbis 5 lobes de la pointe vers la bafe Si contient dans fa 

 cayhe pluficus femences noiraftre tres menue-v Botan. Par. p. 8, 9. 



