The Ohio Naturalist. 
[Vol.X, No. 5, 
U 6 
A SUPPLEMENTARY DESCRIPTION OF CERASTIUM 
ARVENSE WEBBII JENNINGS. 
Otto E. Jennings. 
In the Ohio Naturalist, about a year ago, the writer 
described as new var. Webbii of Cerastium arvense L. Recently 
my friend, Mr. Roscoe J. Webb, of Garrettsville, Ohio, for whom 
the variety was named, has sent to us for further examination 
some excellent specimens of the plant, collected by him on 
June 25, 1909, at the type locality, along the gorge of the Rocky 
River, Cuyahoga County, Ohio. The type specimens lacked 
ripe pods and the original description was in that respect defi- 
cient, but in the specimens now at hand the inflorescence con- 
tains all stages from flower buds to dehisced pods and it is now 
possible to give a more complete description of the variety, 
as follows: 
Cerastium arvense Webbii Jennings. Similar or somewhat 
taller than varieties oblongijolium and villosum, our specimens 
now ranging from about 3.5 to 5 dm. in height, the larger plants 
often decumbent for a distance of 1 dm. or more at the base, 
more or less densely pubsecent, especially above, where there is 
often much glandular pubescence. Leaves oblong-lanceolate 
below to ovate-lanceolate above, the latter attaining a size of 1.2 
cm. wide by G cm. long, all sub-acute to obtuse and somewhat 
paler below, the leaves of the sterile shoots being somewhat 
smaller and varying from oblong-lanceolate to linear-elliptic, the 
floral bracts being similar to the sepals in shape and size, and 
viscid-pubescent. Cyme strict to rather widely branched at 
maturity ; pedicels stiff, 1 to 4 cm. long, at the apex abruptly bent 
so that the pod becomes more or less cernuous. Sepals narrowly 
oval, acute to somewhat obtuse, white-scarious margined, about 
2 mm. wide by 6 mm. long. Petals about 1 cm. long by 5 mm. 
wide, obovate, the apex emarginate to the depth of about 1.5 mm. 
Pods cylindric, 2.5 to 3 mm. in diameter, 1 to 1.5 cm. long, 
arcuate with the apex curved upwards, yellowish white, lustrous, 
the teeth in dehiscence erect, about 1 mm. long, narrowly 
acuminate. Seeds reddish-brown, flattened-globose-reniform 
with a very narrow sinus, quite roughly papillose, about 0.8 mm. 
in diameter. 
This variety, as exemplified by the specimens now at hand, 
has the longer pods of variety oblongijolium with the more dense 
villous-pubescence of villosum and is almost as densely viscid- 
pubescent as is the typical Cerastium vulgatum L. In fact, it 
almost appears as though there might be here a case of hybridism, 
the intergradation being so complete. 
Carnegie Museum, January, 1910. 
Date of Publication, March 2, 1910. 
