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AGROSTE'MMA* * 
Linnean Class and Order. DECA'NDRiAf, Pentagy'nia. 
Natural Order. Caryophy'lleajJ, Linn.— Juss. Gen. PI. 
p. 299. — Sm. Gram, of Bot. p. 159. — Lindl. Syn. p. 43. Introd. to 
Nat. Syst. of Bot. p. 156. — Rich, by Macgilliv. p. 507. — Loud. Hort. 
Br. p. 501. — Rosales; subord. Rhceadoste ; sect. Dianthinte ; 
type, Dianthace.e; Burn. Outl. of Bot. v. ii. pp. 614, 784, 805, 
and 807. 
Gen. Char. Calyx (tig. 1.) inferior, of 1 sepal, tubular, cori- 
aceous, strongly ribbed, with 5 teeth, permanent. Corolla (fig. 2.) 
of 5 petals, with a spreading, obtuse border, and narrow claws, as 
long as the tube of the calyx. Filaments (fig. 3.) 10, awl-shaped ; 
5 shorter than the rest, attached to the claws of the petals. Anthers 
simple, oblong, notched at each end. Germen (see fig. 4 ) supe- 
rior, egg-shaped. Styles (see fig. 4.) 5, thread-shaped, upright, as 
long as the stamens. Stigmas slender, downy. Capsule (figs. 5 
and 6.) oblong-egg-shaped, of 1 cell, and 5 rigid valves, more or 
less combined below, covered by the hardened, permanent calyx. 
Seeds (see figs. 6 & 7.) numerous, kidney-shaped, granulated, stalk- 
ed, attached to the unconnected central column. (Gitiia'go of 
Don's Gen. Syst. of Gard. and Bot.) 
The 1-celled capsule ; and tubular, coriaceous (leathery) calyx, 
with 5 long, leafy segments ; will distinguish this from other genera 
in the same class and order. 
One species British. 
AGROSTEMMA GITIIA'GO §. Corn Cockle. Corn Cam- 
pion. Wild Nigella. 
Spec. Char. Plant hairy. Stem upright, forked. Leaves 
strap-spear-shaped. Petals undivided, without teeth. Segments 
of the calyx rising above the corolla. 
Engl. Rot. t. 741. -Curt. FI. Rond. t. 209— Linn. Sp. PI. p 624.— Iluds. FI. 
Angl. (2nd ed.) p. 198— Sm. FI. Brit. v. ii. p 493— Engl. FI. v. ii. p. 325. — 
With. (7th ed.) v. ii. p. 562. — Mart. FI. Rust. 1 . 105— Lindl. Syn. p. 47. — Hook, 
ilrit. FI. p. 212— Light!'. FI. Scot. v. i. p. 238— Sibth FI. Oxon. p. 145. — Abb. 
FI. Bedf. p. 100. — Purl. Midi. FI. v. i. p. 224. — Relh. FI. Cant. ( 3rd ed.) p. 183. — 
Davies’ Welsh Bot. p. 43. — Hook. FI. Scot. p. 141— Grev. FI. Edin. p. 101. — 
FI. Devon, pp. 77 St 182. — Johnst. FI. of Berw. v. i. p. 101 — Winch’s FI. of 
Northumb. and Duiham, p. 30. — Walk. FI. of Oxf. p. 128. — Mack. Catal of PI. 
of Irel. p. 45. — Lychnis Githago, Decand. FI. Gall, p.392 — Bab. FI. Bath. p. 
7. — Ly'chnis segetum, Gray’s Nat. Arr. v. ii. p. 650. — Githago segetum, Don's 
Gen. Syst. of Gard. and Bot. v. i. p. 417 Ly'chnis segetum major, Kay’s Syn. 
p. 338. — Pseudomelanthium, Johnson’s Gerarde, p. 1087. 
Looa lities. — In corn-fields. Very common. 
Fig. 1. Calyx. — Fig. 2 Corolla. — Fig. 3. A Petal, and 2 of the Stamens. — 
Fig. 4. Germen and Pistils. — Fig. 5. Capsule— Fig. 6. Capsule divided verti- 
cally, showing the seeds and their receptacle. — Fig. 7. A Seed. 
* From agros, Gr. field, and stemma, Gr. ornament ; from the beauty of its 
flowers, which are (in the British species) a great ornament to the corn-fields, 
t See saponaria officinales, f. 37, n. f. 4 See Buffonia annua, f. 152, a. 
$ From gith or git, a black aromatic seed, which was employed in the kitchens 
of the Romans. The seeds of the Nigella sativa, which those of Githago much 
resemble. Ago, in Botany, when it terminates a word, usually signifies resem- 
blance with the word which precedes it, as gith and ago . resembling gith. Dov. 
