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STELLARIA nemorum.

Wood Stitchwort.

DE C A N D R IA Trigynia.

Gen. Char. Cal. five-leaved, spreading. Petals five,cloven. Capsule one-celled, with many seeds.Spec. Char. Lower leaves, heart-shaped, on foot-stalks ; upper ones ovate, sessile. Panicle dicho-tomous.

Sy n. Stellaria nemorum. Linn. Sp. PI. 603. Buds.Fl. An. 190. With. Bot. Arr. 455.

Alline montana, folio Smilacis instar, store laciniato.Rail Syn. 347.

CONFINED to moist woods and the borders of clear shadedsprings in the most northern parts of England, as well as inthe low-lands of Scotland , Lowering in May. Mr. Robfon, towhom we are indebted for so many rare plants figured in thiswork, gathered the present specimen in Cliff-wood near Dar-lington.

Root perennial, small and creeping. Stems several, weakand lax, round, hollow, scattered here and there with hairs,chiefly in the upper part. Leaves pale green, tender and suc-culent. The numerous star-like flowers are visible at a dis-tance, and of a delicate structure when closely examined.

For the consolation of fallible botanists we must remarkthat Linnæus in his Flora Lapponica (No. 186) confoundsthis plant with Alsine media and Cerastium aquaticum. Theformer may always be known, in all its numerous varieties,from this and every other plant of its natural order, by thehairy line on one side of its stem, first pointed out, if we remem-ber right, by Mr. Curtis. The latter is distinguished from ourStellaria by being viscid, and much more hairy; its flowersmuch less conspicuous ; calyx more oval, and less membranous ;panicle more leafy ; and especially by all the stem-leaves beingsessile, neither are they lengthened out into so long a point;not to mention its five styles, which are very constant.

Stellaria nemorum thrives very well in Chelsea garden.