Plate 12. 
STELLARIA MEDIA. 
Family, Caryophyllace^ :— Leaves opposite, entire. Flowers regular. 
Petals separate. Stamens definite. Ovary superior. Fruit, 
a capsule, 1-celled. Stem often swollen at the nodes. 
Genus, Stellaria {Stitchwort, Starwort) : — Annual or perennial herbs, 
slender, usually glabrous. Leaves grass-like or short and broad. 
Flowers white. Sepals 5. Petals 5, 2-lobed. Stamens 10, some- 
times fewer. Styles 3 (rarely 5). Ovules many. Fruit a globose 
or oblong capsule opening into 6 (rarely 5) valves. Seeds kidney- 
shaped or globose, compressed at one side, often with granular 
markings. 
Stellaiia media, Cyrill. (Chickweed.) Plant annual, 
varies considerably in size, prostrate or ascending, and of a 
somewhat weak and straggling habit. Stem slightly hairy 
on one side, the leaf stalks also may have a few hairs. Leaves 
ovate, smooth. Flowers small, springing from the axils of the 
leaves, on rather long slender stalks. Sepals hairy. Petals 
shorter than sepals. Stamens 3, 5 or 10. 
Introduced. Abundant. 
This plant is extremely common in waste places, etc., in 
Europe and N. Asia, and has spread to all the temperate 
and colder regions of the globe. 
Description of plate :— 1, plant ; 2, flower ; 3, stamen ; 4, section 
of pistil ; 5, seed. All except 1 enlarged. 
