1. MOLLUGO. L in n .; DC.; W. Am.prodr. Ind. or. l.p . 43.
Sepals 5, united at the base. Petals usually none, rarely 5, minute. Stamens
5 or fewer, opposite the sepals, sometimes 10. Styles 3. Capsule?
3-valved, 3-celled, loculicidal, many-seeded.—Leaves actually opposite, and
without stipules; hut by abortion apparently alternate, with 2 stipules (one
leaf being abortive its petiole splits up, leaving a portion, like a stipule, attached
on each side to the base of the petiole of the perfect leaf); containing
in their axils several leaves surrounding the base of the young branch, and
forming radical or lateral tufts opposite to the peduncles; hence they are
usually said to be verticillate. Am. 1. c.
1. M. verticillata (Linn.): stem branched, depressed; leaves spatulate,
the upper ones lanceolate; pedicels 1-flowered, forming a simple sessile umbel;
seeds smooth.—Michx. ! fl. l.p . 77; Ga.rtn.fr. 1.130; DC.prodr. 1.
p. 391; Hook.fi. Bor.-Am. 1. p. 92. ,
Barren places throughout N. America! June-Sept.— ® Sepals colored
within. Petals none. Stamens mostly 3. Seeds smooth, with 3 dorsal
striae.
2. MERKIA. Fisch, in DC.; Cham. $ Schlecht, in Linnaa, 1. p. 59.
Sepals 5. Petals 5, unguiculate, entire. Stamens 5. Styles 3. Capsule*
sessile inflated, depressed-globose and umbilicated, grooved, imperfectly
3-celled, 3-valved. Seeds numerous, minute, pyriform.—Weak, diffusely
csespitose. Leaves ovate, a little ciliate. Peduncles solitary, 1-flowered.
M. physodes (Fisch.)—Hook. fl. Bor.-Am. 1. p. 103. Arenaria physodes,
DC. rrrodr. 1. *p. 403.
Bay of Eschscholtz.—Capsule about half an inch in diameter. Cham, f
Schlecht.
3. HONCKENYA. Ehrh. beitr. 2. p. 81. (not of Willd.)
Adenarium, Raf. (1818.)
Sepals 5, united at the base. Petals 5, perigynous, unguiculate, entire.
Stamens 10, inserted, with the petals, into a glanduliferous disk. Styles 3-5.
Capsule 3-5-valved, 1-celled, 8-10-seeded. Seeds large, smooth.—Fleshy
maritime perennial herbs, with axillary subsolitary flowers.
1. H. peploides (Ehrh.): sepals ovate, obtuse, with "scarious margins;
■petals spatulate-obovate; leaves and stems very fleshy.—Arenaria peploides,
L in n ; Willd. sp. 2. p. 717; Fl. Dan. t. 624; Pursh, fl. 1. p. 317; DC.
orodr. 1. p. 413; Hook.fl. Bar.-Am. 1. p. 102 (in part). Adenarium pep-
oides, Raf. in Desv.jour. phys. (1818) ; DC l. c. 3 p. 366.
Atlantic Coast! from lat. 40° to Labrador 1 and the Arctic Circle.—Stem
extensively creeping, with numerous erect mostly simple branches, 8-12
inches high. Leaves short, ovate, abruptly acute or mucronate, very fleshy.
Styles 3 m the lower, mostly 5 in the upper flowers. Flowers by abortion
sometimes dioecious or polygamous.
2. H. oblongifolia: sepals lanceolate-ovate, acute; petals oblong-spatu-
jate * leaves oblong, acute, attenuate at the base, and, as well as the stems,
not very fleshv,—Arenaria peploides, Cham. 4* Schlecht. xn l/tnnaa, 1. p.
5 7 ; Bongard'veg. Sitbha. 1. c.p. 128. A. peploides /?. major, Hook.! 1. c.
fo
Sitcha (Bongard) and both sides of Behring’s Straits! ( Chamisso) to
De Fuca (Scouler ƒ)—This plant, at once distinguishable from the preceding
by its longer and narrower leaves, apparently less fleshy habit, and especially
by the form of the sepals and petals, appears to take the place along
the shores of the Northern Pacific, which H. peploides occupies along the
Atlantic ocean. The plant of our own coast agrees well with the European,
except that the stems are almost always simple.
4. SAGINA. Bartl. ord. nat. p. 305.
Sagina, Linn, and the exstipulate species'of Spergula, hiwn. tf-e.
Sepals 4-5, united at the base. Petals 4-5, entire, or none. Stamens
4-10. Styles 4-5. Capsule 4-5-valved, many-seeded.—Flowers solitary,
axillary or terminal. Leaves often fascicled in the axils.
1. S. procumbens (L in n .) g lab ro u s; stems p ro cum b en t; leaves linear,
m u c ro n a te ; peduncles acending in f ru it; petals about h a lf th e length of th e
sepals; stamens, petals, and sepals 4 -5 .— Gcertn.fr. t. 129; Eng. hot. t. 8 8 0 ;
Ell. sk. 1. p. 2 2 1 ; Hook. ! fl. Bor.-Am. 1. p. 92.
Springy ground, Connecticut! to South Carolina. Oregon, Dr. Scouler !
May-Aug.—(5) or (2) (If DC. Hook.) Stems 2-6 inches long. Capsule
twice the length of the calyx. Petals sometimes none.
2. S. decumbens: mostly glabrous; stems decumbent, ascending; leaves
linear-subulate, very acute; peduncles much longer than the leaves; petals
and sepals 5, of equal length; stamens 10.—S. procumbens, Withering.
Spergula saginoides, Lin n .; Michx. ! fl. l.p . 276; DC. prodr. 1. p. 394;
Hook. 1. c. S. decumbens, Ell. sk. l.p . 523. S. nodosa, Walt. Car.p. 241.
Infields, &e. Canada! to Louisiana! Introduced? Also on the Pacific
coast, Chamisso, Hooker. April-July.— (X) Stems branching, 1-3 inches
long. Petals obtuse. Capsule a little longer than the calyx.
3. S.fontinalis (Short & Peter) : glabrous; stems procumbent, branched,
dichotomous above; leaves linear-spatulate, rather obtuse; petals none;
stamens 4-6.—Short <$■ Peter ! 1st suppl. cat. Kentucky plants.
Wet rocks, Kentucky! April-May.— (5) Stems 8-15 inches long. Peduncles
longer than the leaves. Sepals 4-5, ovate, rather obtuse. Capsule
subglobose, much shorter than the sepals.
4. S. apetala (Linn.) : pubescent; stem erect; leaves subulate; peduncles
elongated and ascending in fruit; sepals and stamens 4; petals 4, very
minute or none.—Eng.bot. t. 881; DC. prodr. l .p . 389; Terr. I fl. l.p .
195.
Dry sandy fields, New-Jersey ! Pennsylvania, & Maryland. Introduced ?
May-June.— @ Stems filiform, 2-3 inches high. Sepals lanceolate, acute,
shorter than the capsule.
5. S1 2. erecta (Linn.): glabrous; stem about 1-flowered; leaves linear,
acute; peduncles strict; sepals, petals, and stamens 4.—Eng. hot.-1. 609 ;
DC. 1. c. Mcenchia glauca, Pers. syn. 1. p. 153.
Baltimore ? Introduced.— (5) Stem 2 inches high. Sepals lanceolate-
ovate, acute, as long as the capsule.
6. & nodosa.' erect; leaves subulate, glabrous, connate, the lower sheathing
; upper ones proliferous in their axils; petals twice the length of the
calyx; stamens 10.—Spergula nodosa, L in n .; Eng.bot. t. 964 ;■ Hook, f l .
Bor.-Ant. 1. p. 93.