Cerastium Arvense. Corn Cerastium or Mouse- 
Ear Chickweed. 
CERASTIUM Lin, Gen. PL Decandria Pentagynia. 
Cal. 5-phyllus. Petala bifida. Cap/, unilocularis apice dehifcens. 
Rail Syn. Gen. 24. Herbie pentapetalje vasculifer^e. 
CERASTIUM arven/e foliis lineari-lanceolatis, obtufis, glabris ; corollis calyce maioribus. Lin. 
Syjl. Vegetab.p. 4 36. Sp. PI. p. 628. FI. Suec. n. 417. 
MYOSOTIS foliis linearibus, lanceolatis, petalis calyce duplo longioribus. Hali. Hijl. 88g. 
MYOSOTIS arvenfis hirfuta flore majore. Vaill. Paris. 141. t. 30./. 4. 
CENTUNCULUS arvenfis hirfutus flore majore. Bauh. Pin. 210. Raii Syn. 348, Long-leav’d 
rough Chickweed with a large flower. 
CARYOPHYLLUS holofteus. Ger. emac. 595. arvenfis hirfutus. Parkin/. 1339. Hudf. FI. Angi, 
ed. 2. p. 2oi. Light/oot FI. Scot. p. 241. 
RADIX perennis, filamentofo-fibrofa, repens. ROOT perennial, with thready fibres, creeping. 
CAULES /eriles plurimi, palmares et ultra, laxe $ STALKS which bear no /lowers, numerous, a hand’s- 
cefpitofi, inferne proftrati, fiepius repentes, 0 
poltea ere&i, bafi fubramofi, deorfum pilofi ; ^ 
caulis florifer fzepe duplo altior, validior; 0 
ftriftus, fuperne ramofus, pilis minutis, ho- | 
rizontalibus, glandulofis fubvifcofus, omnes 0 
teretes, geniculati, ad geniculos fenfnn fub- f 
incraflati. a 
breadth or more in length, forming a kind of 
loofe turf, below proflrate and moftly creep- 
ing, afterwards upright, fomewhat branched 
at the bafe, hairy, hairs turned downward, 
the flowering ftem often twice as high, 
ftronger, ftraight, branched above, fomewhat 
vifcid with minute glandular hairs, both 
$ kinds round, jointed, thickened gradually to- 
<) wards the joints. 
FOLIA faturate viridia, feflilia, oppofita, fubconnata, | LEAVES deep green, feflile, oppofite, fomewhat 
patentia, fubreflexa, lineari lanceolata, acu- q united at bottom, fpreading, frequently 
tiufcula, fupra pilofiufcula, pilis furfum fpec- turned back, betwixt linear and lanceolate, 
tantibus, fubtus laevia, margine ciliata, ciliis $ rather pointed, hairy on the upper fide, hairs 
recurvis. § pointing upwards, on the under fide flnooth, 
q edge fringed with hairs crooked backwards. 
PEDUNCULI e dichotomia caulis, folitarii, binati, $ FLOWER-STALKS from the forking of the ftalk, 
ternati, ere&i, uniflori ; /ipulis binis, oppo- $ growing fingly, or divided into twos or 
fitis, ovatis, acutis, concavis, margine mem- 0 three’s, upright, one-flowered, /ipulce in 
branaceis. A pairs, oppofite, ovate, acute, concave, mem- 
<i> branous on the edge. 
FLORES albi, terminales, ere£li, magni. ^ FLOWERS white, terminal, upright, and large. 
CALYX: Perianthium pentaphyllum, perfiftens <j> CALYX: a Perianthium of five leaves, perma- 
foliolis lanceolatis, acutis, fubconcavis, pilo- | nent, lanceolate, pointed, a little hollow, 
fiufculis, margine membranaceis, fig. 1. fomewhat hairy and membranous on the 
I edge./g. i. 
COROLLA: Petala 5, cordiformia, patentia, ver- <> COROLLA : 5 Petals, heart-fhaped, fpreadmg, 
fus marginem parum reflexa, ad medium | turned back a little towards the edge, di- 
fere bifida, tenera, alba, lineis hyalinis ra- a vided almofl: to the middle into two feg- 
diatim ftriata, calyce duplo longiora, fig. 2. v ments, tender, white, ftriated with tranfpa- 
| rent lines in the form of rays, twice the 
<> length of the Calyx, fig. 2. 
STAMINA: Filamenta decern, filiformi-fubulata, | STAMINA: ten Filaments, {lightly tapering, (horter 
corolla breviora, alterna breviora ; An tiiera | than the corolla, the alternate ones fhorteft; 
ovales, luteae, fig. 3. $ Anthers oval and yellow, fig. 3. 
PISTILLUM : Germen globofum; Styli quinque, ® PISTILLUM : Germen globular; Styles five, very 
capillares, fubreflexi ; Stigmata obtufa, $ [lender and fomewhat reflexed -, Stigmata 
fig. 4. 0 blunt, fig. 4. 
PERICARPIUM : Capsula ovato-cylindracea, ca- | SEED-VESSEL : a Capsule betwixt ovate and cy- 
lyce longior, ore decemdentato, fig. 5. 0 lindrical, longer than the calyx, the mouth 
<> having ten teeth, fig. 5. 
SEMINA plurima, rufefcentia, fig. 6. I SEEDS numerous, reddifh brown, fig. 6. 
A rare plant in the neighbourhood of London, not uncommon about Croydon, and very plentiful about 
Bury in Suffolk; affeBs dry flotations ; is found on fand banks, walls, and in corn-fields; flowers with us 
early in June. 
Is diftinguilhed from all the other Cerafliums growing with us, by its large flowers, deep green leaves, which 
appear fmooth at a diftance, and powerfully creeping roots and ftalks. 
A few roots of this foedes planted on a bank in my garden, Lamtdh-Mar/h, covered with Hones in imitation 
of rock-work, foon fncreafed fo as wholly to overfpread a great part of it, and ,n a few years penetrating 
through to the north fide of the bank, fupplanted the Saxifraga hypnald's, with a fine coat of which it was 
on thft fide thickly covered.-We have Teen it penetrate the mortar of a brick wall, and have found that there 
, ? s fcarcely a plant of its fize it will not overcome. We mention thefe circumftances not only as they end to 
luftrate a part of the oeconomy of the plant, but that perfons may be on their guard how they introduce it, 
or fuch like encroaching plants, on any kind of rock-work they do not with them wholly to cover. 
It varies in the fmoothnefs of its leaves. 
