SUBORDER CARYOPHYLLINEAE
[FAMILY 75.] CARYOPHYLLACEAE
Herbs or undershrubs, rarely shrubs. Leaves undivided. Perianth usually separated into calyx and corolla. Stamens 1-10. Ovary 1-celled or incompletely 2-5-celled, superior, rarely (Sclerocephalus) half-inferior. Ovules on basal or central placentas, with a distinct funicle, curved or inverted. Seeds albuminous; embryo usually curved.—Genera 45, species 280. (Including PARONYCHIEAE or ILLECEBRACEAE, ALSINACEAE, and SILENACEAE.) (Plate 45.)
1. Sepals free or united up to the insertion of the stamens. Petals not distinctly clawed, sometimes wanting. Receptacle concave or small and rather flat. [Subfamily ALSINOIDEAE.] 2
Sepals united beyond the insertion of the stamens. Petals present, usually clawed. Receptacle stalk-like or small and flat. Styles free. [Subfamily
SILENOIDEAE.] 35
2. Fruit indehiscent or irregularly bursting at the base, rarely at the top.
Ovule 1, rarely ovules 2, and then sepals 5. Petals usually scale-like or wanting. Leaves stipulate, rarely exstipulate; in the latter case styles 2. 3
Fruit opening from the top by teeth or valves. Ovules numerous, rarely 2, and then sepals 4, very rarely ovule 1; in this case leaves exstipulate and styles 3. Petals usually perfectly developed. 16
3. Flowers in clusters of 3, the middle one hermaphrodite, the side flowers male or rudimentary. Stamens nearly hypogynous. Style 1. Ovule one.
Embryo almost straight. Leaves opposite, stipulate. [Tribe PTERANTHEAE.] 4
Flowers all alike. Stamens perigynous. 6
4. Stamens 2-3. Staminodes and petals absent. Sepals 5. Stigmas 3.
Clusters of flowers on a rather thin stalk, with entire involucral bracts.
Shrubs.—Species 1. Canary Islands. Dicheranthus Webb
Stamens 4-5. Clusters of flowers with pinnately divided involucral bracts. Herbs. 5
5. Sepals 4. Petals and staminodes none. Stamens 4. Stigmas 2. Clusters of flowers on a much broadened and hollow stalk.—Species 1. North
Africa. Pteranthus Forsk.
Sepals 5. Petals or staminodes 5. Stamens 5. Stigmas 3. Clusters of flowers on a rather thin stalk.—Species 1. Northern East Africa to
Egypt. Cometes L.
6. Leaves exstipulate. Petals none. Styles 2. Ovule 1. Herbs. Leaves opposite.—Species 3. North Africa, Abyssinia, and South Africa.
[Tribe SCLERANTHEAE.] Scleranthus L.
Leaves stipulate. [Tribe PARONYCHIEAE.] 7
7. Ovule 1. 8
Ovules 2. Undershrubs. 15
8. Style-branches, stigmas, or stigma-lobes 2, very rarely 1, and then style very short. 9
Style-branches, stigmas, or stigma-lobes 3, very rarely 1, but then style
elongated. 13
9. Stem woody, shrubby, nodose. Bracts brown. Sepals mucronate.
Petals 5, thread-shaped. Style elongated. Stigmas 2.—Species 1.
Island of Socotra. Lochia Balf. fil.
Stem herbaceous, rarely woody at the base; in the latter case sepals obtuse. 10
10. Flowers in globose heads; involucre becoming prickly. Sepals prickly beneath the tip. Petals wanting. Ovary adnate below to the calyx-tube.
Fruit bursting at the top.—Species 1. North Africa and
Cape Verde Islands. Sclerocephalus Boiss.
Flowers in fascicles; involucre not prickly. Petals thread-shaped or wanting. Ovary free. 11
11. Sepals blunt, green. Style very short; stigmas 2. Embryo curved.
Stipules small.—Species 10. North and South Africa, Abyssinia,
Cape Verde Islands. Some are used in medicine. Herniaria L.
Sepals more or less hooded, with a dorsal point beneath the tip. 12
12. Seed with a straight embryo. Stigma 1, entire or 2-lobed, nearly sessile.
Stamens 5. Petals thread-shaped. Sepals white. Leaves in false whorls; stipules very small.—Species 1. North-west Africa. Used in medicine. Illecebrum L.
Seed with a curved embryo. Stigma 1, two-lobed, or more frequently stigmas 2. Stipules large or rather large.—Species 15. North Africa and northern Central Africa. Some are used in medicine or yield a substitute for tea. Paronychia Juss.
13. Sepals awned. Petals awl-shaped. Style long, with 3 stigmas. Low shrubs with knotty branches. Leaves narrow.—Species 1. North
Africa. Gymnocarpos Forsk.
Sepals blunt. Petals scale-like. Style long with 1 stigma, or short with
3 stigmas. Herbs. 14
14. Style long, with 1 stigma. Leaves whorled, obovate.—Species 1. Island of Socotra. Haya Balf. fil.
Style short, with 3 stigmas. Leaves opposite or alternate, narrow.—Species
3. North and South Africa and mountains of East Africa and
Madagascar. Corrigiola L.
15. (7.) Petals 5. Stamens 5. Embryo curved. Leaves linear, fleshy.—Species
1. Nubia. Sphaerocoma Anders.
Petals none. Stamens 1-2. Embryo straight or almost so. Leaves lanceolate, flat.—Species 2. South and Central Africa. Pollichia Soland.
16. (2.) Styles united below. [Tribe POLYCARPEAE.] 17
Styles free from the base. 22
17. Sepals 4, concave, minutely toothed. Petals none. Stamens 3. Ovules few. Style short; stigmas 2. Flowers solitary, axillary, with two bracteoles. Leaves very small, densely crowded.—Species 1. Island of Kerguelen. Lyallia Hook.
Sepals 5. Stamens 3-5. Ovules numerous. Stigmas 3 or 1. 18
18. Petals none. Sepals keeled, entire. Stamens 3. Leaves linear. Stipules dark red at the base.—Species 1. North-west Africa (Algeria). Ortegia Loefl.
Petals 5. 19
19. Petals 2-parted.—Species 1. Tropical and South Africa. Drymaria Willd.
Petals entire, notched, or 2-toothed. 20
20. Sepals with a tooth on each side. Leaves awl-shaped. Stipules cut up into bristles.—Species 1. North Africa. Loeflingia L.
Sepals entire. 21
21. Sepals keeled. Style short, 3-cleft.—Species 6. Some are used medicinally. Polycarpon Loefl.
Sepals rounded on the back. Style long or rather long.—Species 25.
Some are used medicinally. (Polycarpia Webb, Polia Lour., including
Robbairea Boiss.) (Plate 45.) Polycarpaea Lam.
22. (16.) Leaves with scarious stipules. Ovules numerous. [Tribe SPERGULEAE.] 23
Leaves without stipules. [Tribe ALSINEAE.] 25
23. Ovary incompletely 3-celled. Ovules basal. Styles 3. Stamens 5.
Flowers white. Leaves oblong or ovate.—Species 5. North Africa and
Madagascar. Telephium L.
Ovary completely 1-celled. Ovules central. Flowers in raceme-like cymes. Leaves linear or subulate. 24
24. Styles and fruit-valves 3.—Species 10. North and South Africa, Abyssinia.
Some are used medicinally. (Lepigonum Fries, Tissa Adans.) Spergularia Pers.
Styles and fruit-valves 5.—Species 4. North Africa; also naturalized in
Central and South Africa. Used as fodder. “Spurry.” Spergula L.
25. Ovule 1. Styles 3. Stamens 10. Petals none, but usually 5 thread-like scales opposite the sepals. Fruit 3-valved to the middle. Leaves subulate. Flowers in clusters consisting of fertile and sterile flowers.—Species
1. North Africa. Queria L.
Ovules 3 or more, rarely (Buffonia) 2. 26
26. Petals 2-parted, 2-cleft, or distinctly notched. Flowers solitary or in panicle-like cymes. 27
Petals entire, minutely toothed, obscurely notched, or wanting. 28
27. Fruit globose. Styles 2-3, rarely 4-5, alternating with the sepals.—Species
6. Extra-tropical regions and mountains of the tropics.
Some are used medicinally. “Stitchwort.” Stellaria L.
Fruit cylindrical. Styles 5, rarely 3-4, opposite the sepals.—Species 20.
Extra-tropical regions and mountains of the tropics. Some are used medicinally. Cerastium L.
28. Petals minutely toothed. Styles 3. Ovules numerous. Fruit cylindrical.
Seeds peltate, compressed dorsally. Flowers in umbel-like cymes.—Species
1. North Africa. Holosteum L.
Petals entire, slightly notched, or wanting. 29
29. Styles as many as the sepals, 4-5. 30
Styles fewer than the sepals, 2-4, very rarely 5. 32
30. Styles opposite the sepals. Stamens 8. Fruit opening at the top by 8 recurved teeth. Leaves lanceolate.—Species 1. North Africa.
(Under Cerastium L.) Moenchia Ehrh.
Styles alternating with the sepals. Stamens 4, 5, or 10. Fruit opening to the base in 4-5 valves. 31
31. Stamens as many as and alternating with the sepals. Petals none.—Species
2. Subantarctic islands. Colobanthus Bartl.
Stamens as many as and opposite the sepals, or twice as many. Leaves subulate.—Species 7. North Africa, high mountains of Central Africa and subantarctic islands. Some are used as ornamental plants. “Pearlwort.” Sagina L.
32. Styles 2. Ovules 2-4. Stamens 2-4. Sepals 4. Fruit opening to the base in 2 valves. Seeds 1-2. Leaves subulate.—Species 5. North-west
Africa. Buffonia L.
Styles 3-5, rarely 2, but then (as usually) ovules more than 4. Sepals nearly always 5. 33
33. Valves of the fruit entire, as many as styles.—Species 8. North Africa and northern East Africa. (Including Minuartia L., under Arenaria L.) Alsine Wahlenb.
Valves of the fruit 2-toothed or 2-parted; in the latter case apparently twice as many as styles. 34
34. Seeds with an appendage at the hilum. Flowers white.—Species 2.
North-west Africa. (Under Arenaria L.) Moehringia L.
Seeds without an appendage. Stamens 10.—Species 10. North Africa and northern Central Africa. “Sandwort.” Arenaria L.
35. (1.) Calyx with an odd number of ribs. Petals usually with contorted aestivation. Styles or stigmas 2. [Tribe DIANTHEAE.] 36
Calyx with an even number of ribs. Petals usually with quincuncially-imbricate aestivation. Styles or stigmas 3-5. [Tribe LYCHNIDEAE.] 41
36. Calyx with scarious stripes between the lobes and with 5-35 ribs. 37
Calyx without scarious stripes, with 15-55 ribs. 38
37. Seeds peltate; embryo nearly straight. Leaves linear.—Species 2.
North Africa. (Including Dianthella Clauson). Tunica Scop.
Seeds reniform; embryo curved. Leaves lanceolate, oblong, elliptical, or ovate.—Species 2. North-east Africa to the Island of Socotra. The roots are used in medicine and as a substitute for soap. Gypsophila L.
38. Petals with scales at the base of the blade, which are sometimes reduced to hairs. Calyx not surrounded by bracts. 39
Petals without scales at the base of the blade, but usually with a winged
claw. 40
39. Flowers small. Calyx tubular, 15-ribbed. Petals notched; scales small or reduced to hairs. Stamens 5-10. Fruit linear. Seeds with an anterior hilum and a straight embryo. Leaves linear.—Species 1.
North Africa. Velezia L.
Flowers rather large. Calyx 15-25-ribbed. Petals with wing-like outgrowths on the claw and with scales at the base of the blade. Stamens
10. Seeds with a lateral hilum and a curved embryo. Leaves lanceolate.—Species
4. North Africa. They are used as ornamental or medicinal plants and yield also a substitute for soap. “Soapwort.” Saponaria L.
40. Calyx ventricose, acutely angled, with 15-25 ribs, not surrounded by bracts. Petals minutely toothed. Fruit ovoid. Seeds with a lateral hilum and a curved embryo.—Species 1. North Africa. The roots are used as a substitute for soap. (Under Saponaria L.) Vaccaria Medik.
Calyx tubular, with 35-55 ribs, surrounded by two or more bracts at the base. Seeds with an anterior hilum and a straight embryo.—Species
25. North and South Africa and mountains of Central Africa.
Many of them are used as ornamental plants or for the preparation of perfumes. “Pink.” Dianthus L.
41. (35.) Styles 5, alternating with the sepals. Ovary and fruit completely
1-celled. Petals without scales at the base of the blade. 42
Styles 5, opposite the sepals, or 3-4. Stamens 10. 43
42. Petals with a two-winged claw. Stamens 10. Styles hairy. Ovules numerous.—Species 1. North Africa, also introduced into South
Africa. The seeds are poisonous and used in medicine. “Corncockle.”
(Githago Desfont., under Lychnis L.) Agrostemma L.
Petals with a wingless claw. Stamens 5. Styles glabrous. Ovules few.—Species
3. Northern East Africa and Cameroons. Uebelinia Hochst.
43. Ovary and fruit completely 1-celled. Calyx more or less inflated, 10-20-ribbed.
Petals with scales at the base of the blade. Fruit opening by
6-10 teeth. Seeds tubercled.—Species 6. North-west and South
Africa. Some are used as ornamental plants, or as a substitute for soap.
(Under Lychnis L.) Melandryum Roehl.
Ovary and fruit divided into cells at the base. 44
44. Fruit a berry. Calyx shortly and widely bell-shaped. Petals greenish-white, with a recurved 2-cleft blade provided with two scales at its base.
Styles 3. Stem climbing. Leaves ovate or oblong.—Species 1.
North-west Africa. Cucubalus L.
Fruit a capsule, opening by 6 or more teeth.—Species 75. North and South
Africa and mountains of Central Africa. Some are used as a substitute for soap, as vegetables, in medicine or as ornamental plants. (Including
Eudianthe Rohrb.) Silene L.
CARYOPHYLLACEAE.
FLOW. PL. AFR.
Pl. 45.
J. Fleischmann del.
Polycarpaea linearifolia DC.