Sagina apetala. Annual Pearl-wort, 
SAGINA Lin. Gen. PI. Tetrandria Tetragynia. 
Cal. 4-phyllus. Petala 4. Capf. irlocularis, 4- valvis, polyfperma. 
Raii Syn. Gen. 24. Herbie pentapetal^e vasculifer^e. 
SAGINA apetala radice annua, caule ereftiufculo pubefcente. 
SAGINA apetala caule ereftiufculo pubefcente, floribus alternis apetalis. Lin. Mantijf. 559. Syjl. 
Vegetab. p. 142. 
SAGINA caulibus ereftis, radice annua, floribus apetalis. Ard Spec. 2. p. 22. t. 8. fig. 1. 
SAXIFRAGA Anglica Alfinefolia annua. D. Plot Hi/i. Nat. Oxf. c. 6. § 9. t. 9. f. 7. Raii Syn. p. 345. 
Annual Pearl wort. ; . 
ALSINE Saxifraga graminifolia, flofculis tetrapetalis herbidis et mufeofis. Pluk. Aim. t. 74. f. 2. 
SAGINA procumbens var. / 3 . Hudfon FI. Angi. ed. 2. p. 73. 
RADIX annua, fibrofa. 
CAULES plures, primo procumbentes,, demum erefti, 
unciales, triunciales et ultra, teretes, filiformes, 
hifpiduli, nodofi. 
FOLIA oppofita, lineari- fubulata, brevia, mucronata, 
hifpidula. 
PLORES alterni,- pedunculati. 
PEDUNCULI apice primo nutantes, demum erefti, pilis 
raris veftiti. . 
CALYX: Perianthium tetraphyllum fubinde penta- 
phyllum, foliolis ovatis, obtufis, concavis, 
Itevibus, perfiftcntibus, marginibus purpuraf- 
centibus, Jig. 1. 
COROLLA : Petala plerumque quatuor, minutiflima, 
nudo oculo vix confpicua, alba, obeordata, 
&.*■ 
STAMINA: Filamenta quatuor alba, calyce breviora. 
Anthers alba:, Jig. 3. 
PISTILLUM et Capfula ut in Sagina procumbente. 
|ROOT annual and fibrous. 
STALKS feveral, at firft procumbent, afterwards up- 
I r ’ght, from one to three inches or more in 
* height, round, filiform, fomewhat hifpid, and 
t . jointed. 
I LEAVES oppofite, linear, and fomewhat awl-Ihaped, 
f Ihort, terminated by a fine point, and fome- 
| what hifpid. 
^FLOWERS alternate, and Handing on foot-ftalks. 
I FLOWER-STALKS firfl: drooping at top, finally up- 
$ right, covered with a few hairs. 
I CALYX: a Perianthium of four, fometimes five, 
^ ovate, obtufe, hollow, fmooth, permanent 
leaves, with purplilh edges. Jig. 1. 
t 
f COROLLA : generally compofed of four Petals, which 
I are extremely fmall, and fcarcely vifible to the 
y naked eye, white and inverfely beart-fhaped, 
I ./%;• 2 - 
4’ STAMINA: four white Filaments, fliorter than the 
calyx. Anther.® white. Jig. 3. 
I PISTILLUM and Capfule as in the procumbent Pearl- 
t wort. 
t 
Mr. Ray, in his Synopfis, confiders this fpecies as diftinft from the procumbent ; and informs us, that it differs 
from it not only in the colour of its ftalks and leaves, which are of a browner hue, but that it has an annual root ; 
and that it does not put forth roots at the joints as the procumbens does, he refers to a figure given of it by Plot 
in his Natural Hiftory of Oxfordfhire. 
Notwithftailding Ray’s deferiptiou, and Plot’s figure, Linn®us, in his Spec. Plant, confidered it only as a 
variety of the procumbens ; but afterwards, more fully convinced by the defeription and figure given of this plant 
by Arduini, an Italian Botanift, he adopts it in his fecond Mantijfa as a fpecies. It appears, by Mr. Hudson’s 
quotations, that he has been no ftranger to the obfervations of thefe authors ; but, in oppofition to them all, he 
continues it only as a variety. 
From a thorough conviction of the propriety of Mr. Ray’s conduft in making it a fpecies, we have given a 
feparate figure of it, and fhall not only confirm his account, but give a few additional remarks of our own, which 
we prefume may finally fettle this matter. 
The diftinfticn of an annual and perennial root, though it cannot be admitted, perhaps, in all cafes as a fpecific 
ch a rafter, mud be allowed to have confiderable weight. To afeertain the conftancy of this eharafter we have for 
feveral years cultivated the two plants clofe together, on a wall with partitions containing earth ; the refult has been 
that the apetala has proved as regular an annual as the Draba verna, while the procumbetis has continued green 
through the winter; and we have no doubt but this always is the cafe with thefe plants, when they grow in 
their natural fituations. 
The procumbens is always procumbent ; and when it grows, as it moft commonly does, in moifl: fituations, it 
mats and fpreads on the ground. The ffalks of the apetala, when the plant is young, fpread on the ground ; but 
as it advances to maturity they rife up, and, if feveral grow together, become quite ereft. Where the plants grow 
fingly, and in a dry fituation, they neither acquire the fame height, nor the fame degree of uprightnefs. Some- 
times this fpecies is found on moifl: Ihady walls, much taller and more branched than thefpecimens we have figured ; 
but whether the plants of the apetala be fmall or large, their ftalks and leaves are always hairy ; while in the 
procumbens they are perfeftly fmooth, the hairs are vifible to the naked eye, and when magnified have no little 
o-lobules at their extremities, as thofe of tlie Spergufa faginoides have, which comes very near in its appearance to 
the Pearl-wort : thus we find thefe three difficult plants may, with certainty, be diftinguifhed by their ftalks alone. 
The apetala is a fmaller plant than the procumbens , and much finer in its ftalks. Its leaves are alfo Ihoiter by 
almoft one-half, and lefs fucculent ; and thefe, fo far we have obferved, are the chief diffidences. 
From its name one would be led to fuppofe, that it was perfeftly apetalous; and both Linnjeus and Arduini 
delcribe it as fuel). We have generally found it with petals ; but fo minute, indeed, as almoft to require a magnifier 
to render them vifible. Thefe petals we have given a magnified view of, and have reprelented the plant in the 
feveral ftates in which it is found in dry fituations. 
Mr. Ray does not appear to have had an idea of its being a common plant, as he mentions the particular fpots 
where it was to be found : with us there is no plant more abundant, efpecially on walls, in gravel walks, where it 
is a troublefome weed, and on barren heaths. .... 
It flowers in May and June. There is, perhaps, fcarce any plant that is quicker m npenmg its feeds. 
In our examination of this plant we found the egg of a very fmall moth glued to an unripe caplule, the feeds of 
which were probably deftined to feed its caterpillar. 
