CARYOPHYLLACE^]. 10 1 



branches usually knotted at each pair of leaves ; the flowers not 

 yellow, usually in diehotornous cymes or panicles. Sepals 4 or 5, 

 free or united into a tubular calyx. Petals as many, twisted in 

 the bud, sometimes minute or wanting. Stamens free, twice as 

 many as the petals, or fewer, inserted under the ovary. Styles 2 

 to 5, linear, stigmatic along their whole length. Capsule 1-celled, 

 or divided into cells at the base only, opening at the top into as 

 many, or twice as many teeth or valves as there are styles, and con- 

 taining several seeds, attached to a shorter or longer central 

 column. 



A considerable family, widely spread over the globe, most numerous 

 in temperate regions, especially in the northern hemisphere, extending 

 into the Arctic Circle, and to the summits of the Alps, but rare within 

 the tropics. The species are readily distinguished by their foliage and 

 habit from all British polypetalous plants, except Franhenia, Flaline, 

 and the cathartic Flax, which have their ovary and capsule completely 

 divided into cells, and the Paronychia family, which have but one seed 

 in the ovary and capsule. 



The genera into which the species are distributed are often very 

 artificial, depending on the number of sepals, petals, stamens, or styles. 

 These numbers are not indeed strictly constant, even in different flowers 

 of the same individual ; but in general by far the greater number of 

 flowers in each individual will be found to agree in this respect with 

 the characters assigned to the genus to which it belongs. Care must 

 therefore be taken, especially in the smaller-flowered Alsinece, to count 

 the number of parts in several flowers wherever any hesitation is felt 

 as to the genus it should be referred to. 



Suborder 1. Silene^:. 

 Sepals united in a tubular or campanulate calyx. 

 Two or four scales or bracts closely embracing the base or 



the whole of the calyx 1. Pink. 



No scales at the base of the calyx. 



Styles 2 2. Saponakia. 



Styles 3 3. Silene. 



Styles 5 (rarely 4) 4. Lychnis. 



Suborder 2. Alsineje. 

 Sepals free, or only very slightly connected at the base. 

 Small, white, scaly stipules at the base of the leaves. 

 Styles 3. Leaves linear, cylindrical, opposite, not clus- 

 tered 12. Sandspubhy. 



