118 THE PINK FAMILY. 



ward to Greece and Transylvania, and reappearing in the Scotch 

 Highlands, especially in the Breadalbane range, and in Sutherland, 

 although neither an Arctic nor a Scandinavian plant. Fl. summer. 



VII. SANDWORT. AKENAMA. 



Small, branched annuals, or tufted or prostrate perennials, glabrous, 

 or rarely shortly hairy, with white flowers. Sepals 5. Petals 5, entire. 

 Stamens 10 or rarely fewer. Styles 3, very rarely 4. Capsule opening 

 in as many or twice as many valves. 



A very numerous genus in the northern hemisphere without the 

 tropics, with a few species also in the southern hemisphere ; distinguished 

 from Pearlwort by the number of styles, from Cerast and Starwort by 

 the entire petals. The British species are usually distributed into four 

 sections, often considered as independent genera, viz. Alsine, with the 

 valves of the capsule as many as the styles, and many seeds, including 

 the vernal S. 9 the hog S., and the fine-leaved S. ; HoncTceneya, with the 

 valves of the capsule as many as the styles, and few large seeds, for 

 the ovate S. ; Arenaria, with the capsular valves twice as many and 

 no appendage to the seeds, including the fringed S. and the thyme- 

 leaved S. ; and Mcehringia, with the capsule of Arenaria, but with 

 shining seeds, having a little appendage to their hilum. 



Leaves linear or subulate. 



Tufted perennials. Petals about as long as or longer 

 than the sepals. 



Pedicels 2 to 4 lines long 1. Vernal S. 



Pedicels 6 lines to an inch long or more .... 2. Bog S. 

 Annual. Petals about half as long as the sepals . . 3. Fine-leaved S. 

 Leaves ovate. 



Leaves thick and fleshy. Capsules large, globular, 5- 



valved 4. Ovate S. 



Leaves small or thin. Capsule 10-valved, small. 

 Leaves scarcely 2 lines long. Sepals with 3 nerves. 

 Annual, much branched, and downy. Petals 



shorter or scarcely longer than the calyx . . 5. Thyme-leaved S. 

 Alpine, procumbent perennial. Petals much 



longer than the calyx 6. Fringed S, 



Leaves mostly half an inch, thin, and 3 -nerved. 



Sepals 1 -nerved 7. Three-nerved S. 



1. Vernal Sandwort. Arenaria verna, Linn. (Fig. 148). 



(EDg. Bot. t. 512.) 

 Stock perennial, short, becoming densely tufted and thickly covered 



