Sagina apetala; Annual Pearl-wort: 



SAG1NA Lin. Gen. PI. Tetrandria Tetragynia. 



< t . _^ Cat- ,4-phyllus. . • Petala 4. Cap/, i-locularis, 4-valvis, polyfperma. 



. Rail Syn. Gen. 24.,Herb^e pentapetal/e vascuxifer.se. 

 SAGINA apetala radice annua, caule erectiufculo pubefcente. 

 SAGINA apetala caule ereftiufculo pubefcente, floribus alternis apetalis. Lin. Mantif/cca Svfi. 



, , Fegetab.,p. 142. r, ;.. .-'. 7 " 



SAGINA caulibus erectis, radice annua, floribus apetalis. ArdSpec. 2. p. 22. t. 8. fia\ 1. 

 SAXIFRAGA Anglica Alfinefolia annua. D. Plot Blji. Nat. Ox/, c. 6. § 9. t. 9. f. ~? Rail Syn. p. 245. 



Annual Pearl wort. ,•.,.:.; 

 ALSINE Saxifraga graminifolia, flofculis tetrapstalis herbidis et mufcofis. Pluk. Aim. t. 74. f. 2. 

 SAGINA procumbens var. /3. Hud/on Fl. Angl. ed. 2. p. 73. 



1 ■ » . • ■■•...-•. 



RADIX annua, fibrosa. I ROOT annual and fibrous. 



CAULES plures, primo. procumbentes, demura eredii, '■% STALKS feveral, at firft procumbent,, afterwards up- 



unciales, triunciales et ultra, teretes, nliformes, I right, from one to three inches or more in 



hifpiduli, nodofi. height, round, filiform, fomewhat hifpid, and 



\ ■ ,.-.-■ i it ,*: I ' ; ' : jointed. ,. , - 



FOLIA oppolita,. lineari-fubulata, brevia, mucronata, | LEAVES oppofite, "linear, and fomewhat awl-fhaped, 



hilpidula. | fhort, terminated by a fine point, and fome- 



' : * what hifpid. 



FLORES alterni, pedunculati. $ FLOWERS alternate, and ftanding on foot-ftalks. 



PEDUNCULI apke primo nutantes, demumerecti, pills | FLOWER-STALKS firft drooping at top, finally up- 



raris veftiti. . ? right, covered with a few hairs. 



CALYX: Peri anthium tetraphyllum fubinde penta- | CALYX : a Perianthium of four, fometimes five, 



phyllum, foliolis _ ovatis, obtufis, concavis, j ovate, obtufe, hollow, fmooth, permanent 



lawibus, perfiftentibus, marginibus purpuraf- ? leaves, with purplifh edges, jig. 1. 



centibus, jig. 1. I 



COROLLA : Petala plerumque quatuor, minutiiftma, % COROLLA : generally compofed of four Petals, which 



nudo oculo vix confpicua, alba, obcordata, | are extremely fmall, and fcarcely vifible to the 



J 7 £° 2 * ¥ naked eye, white and inverfely heart-fhaped, 



c ■''■'■ / . . ' t y^o-, 2. 



'STAMINA: Fil amenta quatuor alba, calyce breviora. | STAMINA : four white Filaments, fhorter than the 

 I Anthers a\bx 9 Jg. 3. | calyx. Antherje white, jig. 3. 



PISTILLUM et Capfula ut in Sagina procumbente. | PISTILLUM and Capful© as in the procumbent Pearl- 



t wort. 



j Mr. Ray, in his Synopfis, confiders this ipecies as diitincc from the procumbens-, and informs us, that it differs 

 from it not only in the colour of its (talks and leaves, which are of a browner hue, but that it has an annual root ; 

 and that it does not put forth roots at the joints as the procumbent does, he refers to a figure given of it by Plot 

 in his Natural Hiftory of Oxfordshire. 



. Notwithftanding Ray's description, and Plot's figure, Linnjeus, in his Spec. Plant, confidered it only as a 

 variety of the procumbens ; but. afterwards, more fully convinced by the defcription and figure given of this plant 

 by Arduini, an Italian Botanift, he adopts it in his fecond Mantijja as a Ipecies. It appears, by Mr. Hudson's 

 quotations, that he has been no ftranger to the obfervations of thefe authors ; but, in oppofition to them all, he 

 continues it only as a variety. 



From a thorough conviction of the propriety of Mr. Ray's conduct in making it a fpecies, we have given a 

 Separate figure of it, and (hall not only confirm his account, but give a few additional remarks of our own, which 

 we prefume may finally fettle this matter. 



The diftinctien of an annual and perennial root, though it cannot be admitted, perhaps, in all cafes as a fpecific 

 character, muft be allowed to have confiderable weight. To afcertain the conftan.cy of this character we have for 

 feveral years cultivated the two plants clofe together, on a wall with partitions containing earth ; the refulthas been 

 that the apetala has proved as regular an annual as the Draba ver'na, while the procumbens has continued green 

 through the winter; and we have no doubt but this always is the caie with thefe plants, when they grow in, 

 their natural fituations. 



The procumbens is always procumbent ; and when it grows, as it moil commonly does,- in moid fituations, it 

 mats and fp reads on the ground. The ftalks of the apetala, when the plant is young, fpread on the ground ; but 

 as it advances to maturity they rife up, and, if feveral grow together, become quite erect. ' Where the plants grow 

 iingly, and in a dry fituation, they neither acquire the fame height, nor the fame degree of uprightnefs. Some- 

 times this fpecies is found on moid fhady walls, much taller and more branched than the fpecimens we have figured ; 

 but whether the plants of the. apetala be fmall or large, their ftalks and leaves are always hairy; while in the 

 procumbens they are perfectly fmooth, the hairs are vifible to the naked eye, and when magnified have no little 

 globules at their extremities, as thofe of the Spergula jaginoides have, which comes very near in its appearance to 

 the Pearl-wort : thus we find thefe three difficult plants may, with certainty, be diftinguifhed by their ftalks alone. 



The apetala is a fmaller plant than the procumbens, and much finer in its ftalks. Its leaves are ai.fo fhorter by 

 almoft one-half, and lefs fucculent ; and thefe, fo far we have obferved, are thp chief differences. 



From its name one would be led to fuppole, that it was perfectly apetalous ; and both Linn/eus and Ardent 

 defcribe it as fuch. We have generally found it with petals ; but fo minute, indeed, as almoft to require a magnifier 

 to render them vifible. Thele petals we have given a magnified view of, and have reprefented the plant in the 

 feveral ftates in which it is found in dry fituations. 



Mr. Ray does not appear to have had an idea of its being a common plant, as he mentions the particular fpots 

 where it was to be found : with us there is no plant more abundant, efpecially on walls, in gravel walks, where it 

 is a troublefome weed, and on barren heaths. 



It flowers in May and June. There is, perhaps, fcarce any plant that is quicker in ripening its feeds. 



In our examination of this plant we found the egg of a very fmall moth glued to an unripe capfule, the feeds of 

 which were probably deftined to feed its caterpillar. 



