C E R 
Jurfaces, and in feizing and fecuring its prey. The habits 
and economy of this gigantic infeft are not known. 
Fig 2, is the cerambyx bajalus; and fig. 3, the meri- 
dianus, two fpecies belonging to England. Fig. 4, is the 
cerambyx puftuiatus, from Jamaica; and fig 5, cerambyx 
verrucofis, a very beautiful fpecies, native of Barbadoes. 
CER AN'THUa,/. in botany. See Ch'ionanthus. 
CERA'SA,/. in botany. See Con dia and Prunus. 
CERAftSO AFF1NIS, f. in botany. See Cordia, 
EBRETiA,and Prunus. 
CERASTES, in zoology, the trivial name of a fpecies 
of viper. .See Coi.uber. 
CERAS / TIUM,/'[kep«t(ov, a little born ; the capfules 
being generally long, and fomewhat in that fhape ] 
Mouse-f.ar, or Mouse-ear Chickweed ; in botany, a 
genus of theclafs decandria, orderpentagynia, natural or¬ 
der of caryophillei. The generic characters are—Calyx : 
perianthiumfive-leaved ; leaflets ovate-lanceolate, acute, 
fpreading, permanent. Corolla : petals five, bifid, obtufe, 
ere£t-expanding, length of the calyx. Stamina : filaments 
ten, filiform, thorter than the corolla, the alternate ones 
fhorter. Anthers roundifh. Piftillum: germ ovate. 
Styles five, capillary, ereCt, length of the ftamens. Stig¬ 
mas obtufe. Pericarpium : capfule ovate-cylindric, or 
globular, obtufe, unilocular, gaping with a rive-toothed 
tip. Seeds : very many, roundilh .—EJfential Character. 
Calyx five-leaved ; petals bifid ; capfule unilocular, gap¬ 
ing at the tip. 
Species. I. With oblong capfules. 1. Ceraftium 
perfoliatum, or perfoliate moule-ear: leaves connate. 
None of the moufe-ear duckweeds make much ap¬ 
pearance, and therefore they are only cultivated in botanic 
gardens. Some of them are common weeds in molt 
parts of Europe : the fmootlier forts however are not dif- 
agreeable to cattle, and the feeds are ufeful to the (mull 
-birds. The firlt fort was difeovered by Tournefort in the 
Levant, from whence he fent the feeds to the royal garden 
at Paris : this is an annual plant, which rifes with an up¬ 
right ltalk a foot high ; the low'erleaves have fo much re- 
femblance to thofe of Lobel’s catchfiy, that, when the 
plants are young, it is not eafy to diftinguilh them. The 
Item-leaves are of the fame lliape, but finaller, placed by 
pairs, and embracing the ftalks. The flowers come out at 
the top of the ftalks, and alfo from the wings of the leaves, 
cn the upper part of the ftalks; they are white, and fliaped 
like thole of chickweed : appear in May and June, and 
are fucceeded by beaked capfules, containing many round- 
ifii feeds. Linnaeus obfei ves that the piltils are Ihorter 
than in the other forts. Native of Greece. Cultivated in 
1731, by Mr. Miller. 
2. Ceraftium vulgatum, or common or narrow-leaved 
moufe-ear : leaves ovate ; petals equal to the calyx ; Heins 
diffufed. This fpecies may be diftinguifhed from the 
third and fourth by the following circumltances : It is 
perennial, and is a larger, more fpreading plant, and more 
common. Sometimes it is but thinly covered with hairs, 
and has been found quite fmooth. It varies in height 
from an inch to two feet, alfo in the breadth of its leaves, 
and the lize of its corolla. The ftronger the plant the 
finaller the petals, and vice verfa, than in C. <v fcofum ; the 
leaves lefs lanceolate and more ovate (the reverie is gene¬ 
rally obfervable with us). The peduncles are not vifcid. 
Stems more copious, more decumbent, flowering later, 
continuing longer. The outer leaflets of the calyx not 
membranous at the edge. Linnaeus mai ks it as annual, in 
which he is followed by Hudfon and Liglufoot : others 
make it perennial. It flowers during the whole fummer 
from May, on walls, byroad tides, among rubbith, and in 
meadows. 
3. Ceraftium vifeofum, clammy or broad-leaved 
moufe-ear: ereft villofe-vifcous. This is annual. It is 
diftinguifiied by its upright growth, its broad hoary leaves, 
the narrowneis of its petals, and the crouded or cluttered 
appearance of its flowers before they blow ; its leaves alfo 
are in general paler. Stem branched at bottom, covered 
with hairs, each of which is terminated by a gland exuding 
C E R 35 
a vifcid juice. In meadows, on walls, dry banks and 
ant-hills, varying in fize from three inches to a foot; 
flowering in April and May. 
+• Ceraftium femidecandrum, or lead moufe-ear: 
flowers five-ttamened, petals emarginate. Stamens fome- 
times only five, according to Haller. Linnaeus fays there 
are always ten ftamens. Petals ftiorter than the calyx, 
acutely cut in at top, and frequently irregularly jagged or 
gnawed, much broader than in the foregoing. Calyx 
thickly covered with hairs, having glands at their extre¬ 
mities; membrane terminating the leaflets remarkably 
long. Stems from two to fix inches high, purplifh, co¬ 
vered with glandulous hairs. Annual. Grows on walls 
and heaths ; flowering early, and foon di (appearing. 
5. Ceraftium pentandrum, or five-ftamened moufe-ear : 
flowers five-ftamened, petals entire. Very fmall, refem- 
bling the foregoing; from which it differs in the colour 
being green not hoary, in having only five fertile ftamens 
without any barren ones, five ftyles, the petals much fhor- 
ter than the calyx, lanceolate and acute, not acutely 
emarginate. Native of Spain. 
6 . Ceraftium arvenfe, or corn moufe-ear: leaves linear- 
lanceolate or obtufe fmooth, corolla larger than the calyx. 
Root perennial, creeping; Hems numerous, four or five 
inches high ; the whole plant is often very hairy. Flow¬ 
ers from May and June to September, in corn-fields, dry 
paftures and heaths, banks, &c. Found near Croydon in 
Surry, about Newmarket, Bury, and Norwich ; in Cam- 
bridgefhire frequent. 
7. Ceraftium dichotomum, or forked moufe-ear : leaves 
lanceolate; Item dichotomous very much branched, .cap¬ 
fule eredl. Stems about lix inches high, dichotomous ; 
the flowers come cut in the middle of the divifions, and 
are fliaped like thofe of chickweed. The v.hole plant is 
clammy. It grows on arable land in Spain, is annual, 
flowers in May, and the feeds ripen in July. 
8. Ceraftium alpinum, or Alpine moufe-ear: leaves 
ovate-lanceolate ; Item divided ; capfules oblong. Stems 
many, fix or eight inches high, fomewhat hairy ; flowers 
in a terminal umbel, fix or eight together ; peduncles 
ereft, fomewhat hairy, as is the calyx. Found on high 
mountains in many parts of Europe; Snowden, and 
others parts of Wales. 
II. With roundifh capfules. 9. Ceraftium repens, 
creeping moufe-ear, or fea-pink : leaves lanceolate; pe¬ 
duncles branching'; capfules roundifh. This lends out 
many weak ftalks which trail upon the ground, and put 
out roots at their joints ; the leaves are about two inches 
long, and little more than half an inch broad, very hoary; 
thofe next the root are much finaller than the upper ones. 
The flowers come out from the fide of the ftalks upon 
flender peduncles, which branch out into ieveral finaller, 
each fuppoi ting a white flower. The petals are often qua- 
drifid or qumquefid. It grows naturally in France and 
Italy, and was formerly cultivated in the Englifh gardens, 
under the name of fea-pink, as an edging tor hol ders ; for 
which ufe it was by 110 means fit on account of its creeping. 
It is luppofed to increafe the milk of kine and Iheep veiy 
much ; whence the Neapolitans call it erba lattaria, milk¬ 
weed. Cultivated 1759, by Mr. Miller; 
10. Ceraftium ftridtum: leaves linear acuminate fmooth; 
peduncles one-flowered fubtomentole ; capfules giobular. 
This fpecies is a native of the mountains of Switzei land, 
Auftria, the Vaudois, Mont Cenis, &c. Perennial. 
11. Ceraftium fuffruticofum ; item perennial procum¬ 
bent; leaves linear-lanceolate fubhirfute. In the fouthern 
countries of Europe. 
12. Ceraftium maximum! leaves lanceolate fcabrous; 
petals crenated ; capfules globular. Found in Siberia, 
near the river Jenifa ; by Gmelin. Annual. 
13 Ceraftium aquaticum, or water moufe-ear: leaves 
cordate feflile; flowers folitary ; fruits pendulous. Root 
perennial. Stems from one to two feet high, weak, round 
or 1'carce perceptibly ancipital, fmooth, jointed. Grows 
in moift places and banks of ditches and rivers; flowering 
in July and Augult. 14. Ceral- 
