/S')
[ 35* ]
S C L E R A N T H U S annuus.
Annual Knawel.
D E C A N D R I J Dtgynia.
Gen. Char. Cal. o f one leaf. Cor. none. Seeds
two, enclofed in the calyx.
Spec. Char. Calyx of the ripe fruit with fharp threading
teeth. Stems threading.
Syn. S cle ranthu s annuus. Linn. Sp. PI. $80. Hudf.
FI. An. 1 7 8 . With. Bot. Arr. 4 3 6 . Relh. Cant.
16 5 . Sibth. Ox. 1 3 8 .
K n aw e l. Rail Syn. 1 3 9 .
N o t h in g can be more common on a fandy foil than
Scleranthus annuus, efpecially in fallow fields. It is an annual,
flowering about the middle of fummer, and fowing its feeds
very abundantly in autumn, which produce a crop of young;
plants that generally furvive the winter, or, if deftroyed, are replaced
by another crop arifing from thofe feeds that happen not
to vegetate till fpring.
Root annual, long, not much branched. Stems very nume-
rous, fpreading in all diredions, the outermoft decumbent at
the bate only, not proftrate their whole length, all round, a
little downy, much branched, leafy, pale, fometimes reddilh.
Leaves oppofite, united at their bafe by a dilated, membranous
and downy margin, linear, fomewhat keeled, acute, fmooth, of a
grafiy green, not glaucous nor filvery. Flowers of the fame
colour, feffik, in terminal leafy clufters. Calyx with 10 ribs,
and cloven half way down into 5 lharp fpreading teeth, a little
membranous at their edges. Stamina fhorter than the calyx,
lometimes 10 , but generally from 5 to 8, of which feveral are
fliort and lmperfedL Germen fuperior, ovate. Styles fpread-
jng. Stigmas downy. Seed enclofed in the permanent hardened
calyx, often fohtary (as feveral writers remark): but we
have found two, or at leaft the unripened rudiments of two.