SAGINA Lin. Gen. PI. T etrandria T etragynia.
Cal. 4-phyllus. Petala 4. Cap/. 1-locularis, 4-valvis, polyfperma.
Rati Syn. Gen. 24. Herbie pentapetal^e vasculifer^e.
SAGINA ape tala radice annua, caule ere&iufculo pubefcente.
SAGINA apetala caule ere&iufculo pubefcente, floribus alternis apetalis. Lin. Mantijp. 559. Syfi.
Fegetab. p. 142.
SAGINA caulibus ereftis, radice annua, floribus apetalis. Ard Spec. 2. p. 22. t. 8.fig. 1.
SAXIFRAGA Angliea Alfinefolia annua. D. Plot Hiß. Nat. Oxf. c. 6. § 9. t. g .fi 7. Raii Syn. p. 345,
Annual Pearl-Wort.
ALSINE Saxifraga graminifolia, flofculis tetrapetalis herbidis et mufcofis. Pluk. Aim. t. 74. f i 2.
SAGINA procumbens var. (3. Hudfon Fl. Angl. ed. 2. p. 73.
m annua^’fibrofa.' .
»ES plures, primo procumbentes, demum erefti,
™r unciales, triunciales et ultra, teretes, filiformes,
hifpiduli, nodofi.
LIÀ oppofita, lineari-fubulata, brévia, mucronata,
R hiipidula.
HES altemi, pedunculati.
^BCULI apice primo nutantes, demum ere&i,
■ pilis rans veftiti.. ;
p X : Perianthium tetraphyllum fubinde penta-
phyllum, foliolis; ovatis, obtufis, concavis,
lævibus, perfiftentibus, marginibus purpuraf-
centibus, fig. 1.
PILLA: Petalaplerumque quatuor, minutiflima,
nudô oçulo Vix confpicuà, alba, obcordata,
f f -■ . : ■ ;
JAMINA-.Filament a quatuoralba, calycebreviora.
H Antheræ albæ, fig. 3.
IflLLUM et Capfyla ut in Sagina procupibente.
$ ROOT annual and fibrous.
I STALKS feveral, at firft procumbent, afterwards up-
<> right, from one to three inches or more in
I height, round, filiform, fomewhat hifpid, and
a ' jointed.
I LEAVES oppofite, linear, and fomewhat awl-lhaped,
I Ihort, terminated by a fine point, and foment
what hifpid.
f FLOWERS alternate, and Handing on foot-ftalks.
I FLOWER-STALKS firft drooping at top, finally up-
$ right, covered with a few hairs.
I CAL YX: a Perianthium of four, fometimes five,
$ ovate, obtufe, hollow,', finooth, permanent
I leaves, with purplilh edges, fig. 1.
f COROLLA: generally compofed of four Petals,
I which are extremely fmall, and fcarcely vifible
I to the naked eye, white and invgrfely heartp
fhaped, fig* 2.
I STAMINA: four white Filaments, fliorter than the
. calyx. A n thers w h i t e , 3.
X PISTILLUM and Capfule as in the procumbent
I Pearl-Wort.
Mp. Ray, in his Synopfis, confiders this fpecies as diftinft from the procumbens; and informs us, that it differs
■ not only in the colour of its ftalks ana leaves, which are of a browner hue, but that it has an annual root-
||at it does not put forth roots at the joints as the procumbens does, he refers to a figure given of it by Plot*
hisEsfatural Hiftory of Oxfordjhire. ’
■ withftanding Ray’s defcription, and Plot’s figure, L innaeus, in his Spec. Plant, confidered it only as a
■ the procumbens; but afterwards, more fully convinced by the defcription. and figure given o f this plant
AIduini, an Italian Botanift, he adopts it in his fecond' Mantijfia as a fpecies. It appears, by Mr. Hudson’s '
■ ions, that he has been no ftranger to the obfervations o f théfe authors; but, in oppofition to them all, he
it only as a variety.
a thorough conviftion of the propriety of Mr. R a y ’s conduft in making it a fpecies, we have given a
I figure of it, and {hall not only confirm his account, but give a few additional remarks of our own, which
may finally fettle this matter.
■ diftinftion of an annual and perennial root, though it cannot be admitted, perhaps, in .all cafes as a fpecific
arf tei , muft be allowed to have confiderable weight. To afcertain thé conftancy of this chara&er we have for
^tyears cultivated the two plants clofe together, on a wall with partitions containing earth; the refult has
W * ^fipetala has proved as regular an annual as the Dr aba verna, while the procumbens hascontinued
the _ winter; and we have no doubt but this always is the cafe with thefe plants, when they grow in
^mprocumbens is always procumbent; and when it grows, as it moft commpnly does, in moift fituations, it
I |na Ipreads on the ground. The ftalks of the apetala, when the plant is young, fpread on the ground; but
^■ vances to maturity they rife up, and, if feveral grow together, become quite erect Where the plants grow
fees ' Nation, fplfp neither acquire the fame height, nor the fame degree óf uprightnefs. Some-
I— ils, Pecies ls found on moift fhady walls, much taller and more branched than the fpecimens we have
ie plants of the apetala be fmall or large, their ftalks and leaves are always hairy; while
re perfectly fmooth, the hairs are vifible to the naked eye, and when magnified have no
■ ran v, extrem^ es» as thofe of the Spergula faginoides have, which comes very near in its
Balks6alone *>ear*"^ort; thus we find thefe three difficult plants may, with certainty, be di.ftinguifhed by
|öl otfwirSa^?^ler plant than the procumbens, and much finer in its ftalks. Its leaves, are alfo fliorter by
Krom its ’ anc* e^s feculent; and thefe, fo far as'we have obferved, are the chief differences.
^ to fuppofe, that it was perfeftly. apetalous; and both L innaeus and A rduinï
» tó UCJ- We have generally found it with petals; but io minute, indeed, .as almoft to, require a
font in the rfn 1 I B 3® J | Thefe petals we have given a magnified view of, and have represented the
|MjI ]^Ay I veIal *wtes in which it is found in dry-fituations.
R h ere jt°^S not aPPear to have had an idea of its being a common plant, as he mentions the particular
piere it k f HI S h e found: with us there is no plant more abundant, efpecially on walls, in travel walks
E f l P u f l f l l weed’ and on barren heaths.
■ nuf exami ^ an(^ J un.e- There is, perhaps, fcarce any plant that is quicker in ripening its feeds.
|dfpf .which uftl0n ° P^ant. we foti-nd the egg of a very fmall moth glued to an unripe capfule the
vere probably deftined to feed its caterpillar.