CERASTIUM 
49 
(a) C. vulgatum var. alpinum Grenier Monogr. Cerast. 40 (1841); Grenier et Godron FI. France i, 271 (1848) ; 
C. fontanum Baumgarten Enum. Stirp. Transsilv. i, 425 (1816); C. triviale var. alpinum Mertens und Koch FI. 
Deutschl. iii, 336 (1831); C. vulgare var. alpinum Hartman Skand. FI. ed. 4, 147 (1843); C. triviale race 
fontanum Rouy et Foucaud FI. France iii, 207 (1896). 
Exsiccata : — Hartz et Ostenfeld {PI. Faer.), as C. vulgare var. alpestre\ herb. Druce, 404, 6049; herb. 
Marshall, 1871 ; FI. Exs. Austr.-Hung., 55, as C. macrocarpum. 
Stems rather stiff. Petals 6 - 5 — 8 mm. long, much exceeding the sepals. Capsule larger than in 
var. hirsutum. Seeds o'8 — ri mm., more strongly tuberculate than in var. hirsutum. 
Not uncommon in Alpine localities, especially on damp, rocky cliffs, in Wales (e.g. Brecknockshire and 
Carnarvonshire) and Scotland (e.g. Perthshire, Forfarshire, Aberdeenshire, western Inverness-shire, and Sutherland- 
shire), ascending to 1067 m. in Perthshire. 
Arctic and Alpine localities in Europe (incl. the Faeroes and Iceland), Asia, and North America ; ascending 
to 2550 m. in Switzerland. 
(/3) var. alpinum forma serpentini Druce in Moss Camb. Brit. FI. iii, 49 ; C. triviale var. serpentini Syme 
in Bot. Exch. Club Rep. for 1876 , 11 (1878) nomen; N. E. Brown in Eng. Bot. ed. 3, suppl., 40 (1892). 
Leaves as in var. hirsutum. Flowers larger than in var. hirsutum. Sepals with broad 
scarious margins. Petals 1*5 times as long as the sepals or rather more. 
In the Isle of Stroma, Orkney, and on wet Serpentine gravels in Unst, Zetland. 
( b ) C. vulgatum var. macrocarpum Druce in Moss Camb. Brit. FI. iii, 49 ; C. macrocarpum Schur in 
Verb. Sieb. Ver. 177 (1851); Enum. PI. Transsilv. 120 (1866) non Boissier et Hohenacker ; C. longirostre Wichura 
in fahres. Schles. Gesellsch. 75 (1854). 
Exsiccata: — Druce herb., 5818; Kerner in Herb. Mus. Brit. 
Differs from var. hirsutum in the following characters : — Leaves sometimes very large (3 cm.). 
Capsule larger, 10 — 16 mm. long. Seeds darker, slightly larger. From var. alpinum it is distinguished 
by its shorter petals and larger capsule. 
Maritime sands, grassy places among rocks, mountain screes and cliffs ; from Jersey (the Quenvais) northwards 
to Ollaberry in Zetland ; Ireland — Dingle, co. Kerry, and the Giant’s Causeway, co. Antrim. 
(c) C. vulgatum var. holosteo’ides Wahlenberg FI. Suec. 289 (1826); Grenier Monogr. Cerast. 39 (1841); 
Syme Eng. Bot. ii, 84 (1864); C. holosteo'ides Fries FI. Suec. 52 (1817)! 
leones : — Reichenbach Icon. Crit. t. 181, fig. 317 — 318, as C. holosteo'ides. 
Exsiccata: — Fries, xv, 42, as C. vidgatum var. holosteo'ides ; herb. Druce, 4918. 
Shoot large, stout, lax, 1 — 4 dm. Stem with a line of hairs, changing its position at each node 
(cf. Stellaria media ), otherwise glabrous. Bracts ciliate. Pedicels with hairs all round. Sepals 
glabrescent or with a few long hairs. Petals large. Capsule much exserted. 
This is possibly the plant referred to by Dillenius (in Ray’s Syn. ed. 3, 349 (1724)) “ad ripas Thamesis prope Battersea 
cum foliis glabris inven. D. Doody.” 
On banks of rivers in places which are occasionally flooded ; Hampshire, ? Surrey, Cheshire, Durham, 
Northumberland, Wigtonshire, Kirkcudbrightshire, Stirlingshire, Perthshire. 
Scandinavia, Denmark, Germany, France, central Europe. 
{d) C. vulgatum var. hirsutum Fries FI. Suec. ed. 2, 125 (1828); C. viscosum L. herb, non Sp. PI . ; C. triviale 
var. hirsutum Neilreich FI. Nied.-Oest. 798 (1859); Rouy et Foucaud FI. France iii, 206 (1896); C. triviale var- 
genuinum Syme Eng. Bot. ii, 83 (1864); C. vidgatum var. typicum Beck FI. Nied.-Oesterr. i, 367 (1890). 
leones: — Smith Eng. Bot. t. 790, as C. viscosum ; Curtis FI. Lond. i, 95, as C. vidgatum ; FI. Dan. t. 1645, 
as C. vidgatum ; Reichenbach Icon. Crit. t. 245, figs. 402, 403, as C. triviale ; Icon, v, t. 229, fig. 4972, as 
C. triviale. 
Camb. Brit. FI. iii. Plate 47. (a) Flowering shoot, (b) Fruit. ( c ) Capsule. Worcestershire (E. W. H.). 
Exsiccata : — Billot, 2639, as C. vidgatum ; Fellman, 64, as C. vulgatum ; Fiori, Beguinot, et Pampanini 
{FI. I tall), 810, as C. triviale ; Fries, x, 40 (partim), as C. vulgatum ; Schneider {PI. Hung.), 1204, as C. vulgatum-, 
Woloszczak {FI. Pol. Exsicc .), 807, as C. vulgatum-, Herb. FI. Ingric. i, 105, as C. vulgatum ; Rel. Maill. 939, as 
C. vulgatum. 
In the Linnaean herbarium there is a specimen of C. vulgatum var. hirsutum named C. viscosum. 
Perennial. Shoot thickly clothed with eglandular hairs all round (i.e., not confined to one or 
two lines), 5 — 50 cm. Flowers about 6 — 7 mm. in diameter, pentamerous. Sepals pubescent. Petals 
about as long as the sepals, or a little longer. Stamens usually 10. Seeds o’6 — o*8 mm. 
This is the common form of the species. A large-flowered form occurs in meadows, as, for example, in Hampshire. 
M. III. 7 
