2638
A R E N A R I A rubella.
Little Red Sandwort.
DECANDRIA Trigynia.
Gen. Char. Cal. 5-leaved. Petals 5, undivided.
Capsule of one cell, and of from 3 to 6 valves,
with many seeds.
Spec. Char. Leaves linear, blunt, with 3 prominent
ribs. Stems pubescent, mostly 1-flowered.
Calyx-leaves 3-ribbed, longer than the petals.
Syn. Arenaria rubella. Smith Engl. FI. v. 4. 267.
A. cherlerifolia. Don Cat. o f Forf. Gard. 1813. 9.
A. hirta. Wormsk. in FI. Dan. t. 1646 ?
Alsine rubella. Wahl. Lapp. 128. t. 6.
I^O U N D by the late Mr. J. Mackay and Mr. G. Don,
many years ago, on the summit of Ben Lawers. Dr. Gre-
ville has since detected it on Craig Chailleach, also in
Breadalbane, and determined it to be the Alsine rubella of
Wahlenberg. The root is fibrous, and perennial. Stems
numerous, throwing out innumerable leafy shoots scarcely
half an inch in length, and forming little dense patches, resembling
Cherleria sedoides. Flowering stems an inch high,
very slender, capillary, mostly simple and single-flowered,
clothed with glandular pubescence, and furnished with from
2 to 4 pair of leaves. Leaves from 1 to 2 lines long, linear,
blunt, and pointless, connate at the base, fringed occasionally
with a few short, glandular hairs, flat above, marked
beneath with 2 furrows and 3 prominent ribs ; those of the
flowering stems shorter and broader, concave above, and
united at the base into a short membranous sheath. Calyx
oblong, glandular, of 5 equal ovate-lanceolate, acuminate,