CERASTIUM ARVENSE. CORN CERASTIUM or MOUSE. 
| EAR CHICKWEED. 
Y 
CERASTIUM Lin. Gen. P. DEGANDRIA PENTAGYNIA. 
Cal. 5-phyllus. Petala bifida. Cap/- unilocularis apice dehifcens. 
Rai Syn. Gen. 94. HERBA PENTAPETALA VASCULIFER A. 
CERASTIUM arven/e folis lineari-lanceolatis, obtufis, glabris; corollis calyce majoribus. Lin. 
Sy/. Vegetab. b. 436. Sp. Pl. p. 628. Fl. Suec. n. 417. 
MYOSOTIS foliis linearibus, lanceolatis, petalis calyce duplo longioribus. Hail. Ht. 889. 
MYOSOTIS arvenfis hirfuta flore majore. — Vaill. Paris. 141. t. 30. f. 4. 
CENTUNCULUS arvenfis hirfutus flore majore. Bauh. Pin. 210. Raw Syn. 348, Long-leav’d 
rough Chickweed with a large flower. | 
CARYOPHYLLUS holofteus. Ger. emac. 595. arvenfis hirfutus. Parkinf. 1339. Hud/. Fl. Angl. 
ed. 2. f. 901. Laghifoot FI. Scot. p. 241. 

RADIX perennis, filamentofo-fibrofa, repens. 9? ROOT perennial, with thready fibres, creeping. 
CAULES J/erzes plurimi, palmares et ultra, laxe " STALKS which dear no flowers, numerous, a haod's- 
cefpitofi, inferne proftrati, feepius repentes, breadth or more in length, forming a kind of 
poftea erecti, bafi fubramofi, deorfum pilofi; loofe turf, below proftrate and moftly creep- 
caulis florifer fepe duplo altior, validior; ing, afterwards upright, fomewhat branched 
Ítri&tus, fuperne ramofus, pilis minutis, ho- at the bafe, hairy, hairs turned. downward, 
rizontalibus, glandulofis fubvifcofus, omnes the flowering flem often twice as high, 
teretes, geniculati, ad geniculos fenfim fub- flronger, ftraight, branched above, fomewhat 
incraflati. vifcid with minute glandular hairs, both 
kinds round, jointed, thickened gradually to- 
wards the joints. 
LEAVES deep green, feflile, oppofite, fomewhat 
united at bottom, fpreading, frequently 
turned back, betwixt linear and lanceolate, 
rather pointed, hairy on the upper fide, hairs 
pointing upwards, on the under fide fmooth, 
edge fringed with hairs crooked backwards. 
FLOWER-STALKS from the forking of the flalk, 
growing fingly, or divided into two's or 
three’s, upright, one-flowered, /fzfule in 
pairs, oppofite, ovate, acute, concave, mem- 
branous on the edge. 
FLOWERS white, terminal, upright, and large. 
CALYX: a PzniaNTHIUM of five leaves, perma- 
nent, lanceolate, pointed, a litde hollow, 
fomewhat hairy and membranous on the 
edge, jig. 1. | 
COROLLA: 5 Prraus, heart-fhaped, fpreading, 
turned back a little towards the edge, di- 
vided almoft to the middle into two feg- 
ments, tender, white, ftriated with tranfpa- 
rent lines in the form of rays, twice the 
length of the Calyx, fig. 2. 
STAMINA: ten Fit AMENS, flightly tapering, fhorter 
than the corolla, the alternate ones fhorteft; 
ANTHERE oval and yellow, jig. 3. 
PISTILLUM : Germen globular; STYLzs five, very 
flender and fomewhat reflexed ; STIGMATA 
blunt, fg. 4. 
SEED-VESSEL : a CAPsuLE betwixt ovate and cy- 
lindrical, longer than the calyx, the mouth 
having ten teeth, fig. 5. 
SEEDS numerous, reddifh brown, fig. 6. 
FOLIA faturate viridia, feffilia, oppofita, fubconnata, 
patentia, fubreflexa, lineari lanceolata, acu- 
tiufcula, fupra pilofiufcula, pilis furfum fpec- 
tantibus, fubtus lzvia, margine ciliata, ciliis 
recurvis. 
PEDUNCULI e dichotomia caulis, folitarii, binati, 
ternati, erecti, uniflori ; f/zpu/zs binis, oppo- 
fitis, ovatis, acutis, concavis, margine mem- 
branaceis. 
FLORES albi, terminales, ere&i, magni. 
CALYX: PreritantTuium pentaphyllum, perfiftens 
foliolis lanceolatis, acutis, fubconcavis, pilo- 
fiufculis, margine membranaceis, /ig. 1. 
COROLLA: Perata 5, cordiformia, patentia, ver- 
; fus marginem parum reflexa, ad medium 
fere bifida, tenera, alba, lineis hyalinis ra- 
diatim ftriata, calyce duplo longiora, jig. 2. 
STAMINA: Fitamenta decem, filiformi-fubulata, 
corolla breviora, alterna breviora; AN THER. 
ovales, lutea, jig. 3. 
PISTILLUM : Germen globofum ; Srvr1 quinque, 
capillares, fubreflexi; STriGMATA obtufa, 
fig 4- 
PERICARPIUM : CarsuLA ovato-cylindracea, ca- 
.. lyce longior, ore decemdentato, jig. 5. 
POOP OOS OSS OS OOOO POSS D COD €» D COD OQ Q qe Q QQ qq G2 CDD 45 DD «D c 
SEMINA plurima, rufefcentia, fig. 6. 
A rare plant in the neighbourhood of London, not uncommon about Croydon, and very plentiful about 
Bury in Suffolk; affects dry fituations ; is found on fand banks, walls, and in corn-fields; flowers with us 
early in June. 
Is diftinguifhed from all the other Cera/liums growing with us, by its large flowers, deep green leaves, which 
appear fmooth at a diftance, and powerfully creeping roots and ftalks. 
A few roots of this fpecies planted on a bank in my garden, Lambeth- Mar/h, covered with ftones in imitation 
of rock-work, foon increafed fo as wholly to overlpread a great part of it, and in a few years penetrating 
through to the north fide of the bank, fupplanted the Saxifraga hypnotdes, with a fine coat of which it was 
on that fide thickly covered.—We have feen it penetrate the mortar ofa brick wall, and have found that there 
is fcarcely a plant of its fize it will not overcome. We mention thefe circumftances, not only as they tend to 
illuftrate a part of the oeconomy of the plant, but that perfons may be on their guard how they introduce it, 
or fuch like encroaching plants, on any kind of rock-work they do not wilh them wholly to cover. 
It varies in the fmoothnefs of its leaves. 
