Sagina procumbens. procumbent Pearlwort. 



SAGINA LinnaiGen. PL TetrandriA Tetragynia. 



Cal. 4-phyllus. Petala. 4. Caps, i-locularis, 4-valvis, polyfpermai 

 Rail Syn. Gen. 24. Herbje pentapetal^e vAsculiferje. 

 SAGINA procumbens ramis procumbentibus. Lin. Syjl. Vegetab. Sp. Plant. 185. Fl. Suec-. n, ic* h 

 ALS1NE tetraftemon foliis connatis, lanceolatis. Holler h'tft. n. 861. 

 SAGINA procumbens. Scopoti Fl. Carn.n. 183. 

 SAXIFRAGA anglicana alfinefolia. Gerard emac. 568» 

 CARYOPHYLLUS minimus mufcofus noftras. Parkin/on. 1340. 

 ALSINELLA mufcofo flore repens. Cat. Gifs. Rail Syn. p. 345. Pearl-wort* Chickweed Breakftone. 



Hudfon. Fl. Angl. ed. 2. p. 73. 



Lightfoot. Flor, Scot. p. 125. 



RADIX annua plerumque, in locis vera umbrofis faspe | ROOT generally annual, but in fhady places often 

 perennat. | perennial. 



CAULES^ plurimi, in umbrofis humentibus repentes, | STALKS numerous, in fhady moift places creeping, 



in aridis eredti, bi, triunciales, teretes, glabri, y in dry fituations upright, two or three inches 



geniculati, ramofi, proliferi. % in length, round, fmooth, jointed, branched 



I and proliferous. 



FOLIA femunciam longa, oppofita, patentia, conna- % LEAVES half an inch long, oppofite, fpreading, join- 



ta, fubulata, mucronata, glabra, faturate viri- | ing at bottom, na row, and tapering, termi- 



dia, fafciculatim ramos terminantia. | nated by a fine hair-like point, fmooth, of 



t a deep green colour, and terminating the 



I branches in clufters. 



t 

 PEDUNCULI axillares, plerumque uniflori, alterni, | FLOWER-STALKS growing from the alse of the 

 fohis longiores, priusquam flores aperiuntur | leaves, ufually fupporting one flower, longer 



apice nutantes. $ than the leaves, before the bloflbms open 



I nodding at top. 



CALYX: Perianthium tetraphyllum, foliolis ova- ? CALYX : a Perianthium of four leaves, which are 

 tis, concavis, perfiftentibus, patentibus^.i. | val, hollow, permanent, and fpreading,^. 1. 



t 

 COROLLA: Petala quatuor, minima, calyce triplo | COROLLA : four Petals, very minute, three times 

 breviora, alba, patentia, faepe manca, fig. 2. | fhorter than the calyx, white, fpreading, and 



i often imperfect, fig. 2. 



■r 



STAMINA : Filamenta quatuor, capillaria ; An. | STAMINA: four Filaments very fine ; Anthers 

 ther^e fubrotundae, flav<£, fig. 3. | roundifh and yellow, fig. 3. 



PISTILLUM: Germen fubglobofum; Styli qua- | PISTILLUM : Germen fomewhat globular ; Styles 

 tuor, lubulat^ recurvi, pubefcentes ; Stig- | four> tapering, bending back a little, with 



mat a fimphcia, fig. 4. * ari appearance of down on them ; Stigmata 



I fimple, fig. 4. 



PERICARPIUM: Capsula fubovata, pellucida, ca- f SEED-VESSEL: a Capsule fomewhat oval, and 

 lyce patulo mfidens, uniloculars, quadriva- | pellucid, fitting on the fpreading calyx, hav- 



lvis, Jig. 5. y ing one cavity and four valves, fig. 5. 



SEMINA numerofa, minima, rufa, receptaculo affixa. | SEEDS numerous, very fmall, of a reddifh brown 



% colour, and affixed to a receptacle. 



_ Few plants are more liable to mifleadthe young Botanift. than this, as there are few that affume fo great a va- 

 riety of appearance, in moift fliady fituations, efpecially if growing on the ground, it creeps and forms a thick clofe 

 turf and looks like a patch of grafs, the leaves are of a fine deep green and rather flefhy, on walls efpecially if it 

 be the fhady fide, it frequently grows upright even to the height of fix inches, and is in every refpeft more flender, on 

 walls that are expofed to the fun it feldom grows more than two inches high, under all this diverfity, the Angu- 

 lar appearance of its feed veffels will in general eafily diftinguifh it, being placed on the center of the expanded 

 permanent calyx like a cup on a faucer. 



Its petals are very minute, generally imperfect and fometimes wanting. 



It is not unufual to meet with it, having one fifth part of its fructification encreafed. 



Being fond of a gravelly foil it often becomes a troublefome weed in gravel walks. 



It continues to flower during the whole of the fummer. 



In the leaves we have a good example of the fiolium mucronatum» 



