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Jepson Interchange (more information)
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CARYOPHYLLACEAE

PINK FAMILY

Ronald L. Hartman (except Silene)

Annual, biennial, perennial herb, rarely dioecious, taprooted or rhizome generally slender
Leaves simple, generally opposite; stipules generally 0; petiole generally 0; blade entire, sheath generally 0
Inflorescence: cyme, generally open; flowers few–many or flower solitary and axillary; involucre generally 0
Flower generally bisexual, radial; hypanthium sometimes present; sepals generally 5, ± free or fused into a tube, tube generally herbaceous between lobes or teeth; awns generally 0; petals generally 5 or 0, generally tapered to base (or with claw long, blade expanded), entire to 2–several-lobed, blade generally without scale-like appendages (inner surface), generally without ear-like lobes at base; stamens generally 10, generally fertile, generally free, generally from ovary base; nectaries generally 0; ovary superior, generally 1-chambered, placentas basal or free-central, styles 2–5 or 1 and 2–3-branched
Fruit: capsule or utricle (rarely modified, dehiscent), generally sessile
Seeds: appendage generally 0
Genera in family: 85 genera, 2400 species: widespread, especially arctic, alpine, temp, n hemisphere; some cultivated (Agrostemma, Arenaria, Cerastium, Dianthus, Gypsophila, Lychnis, Saponaria, Silene, Vaccaria ).

CERASTIUM

MOUSE-EAR CHICKWEED

Annual, perennial herb, erect to mat-forming; taproot or rhizomes present
Leaf: blade linear to ovate; vein 1
Inflorescence: cyme, terminal or axillary; flowers few–many, open to tightly dense; pedicels 1–36+ mm
Flower: sepals 5, 3.5–12 mm, free, lanceolate to ovate, hairy to glandular-hairy; petals 0 or 5, 2.5–15 mm, ± 2-lobed; stamens (5)10; styles 5, 0.5–3.3 mm
Fruit: capsule, cylindric, ± curved in upper 1/2; teeth 10, spreading to recurved
Seeds several–many, pale brown to reddish brown
Species in genus: 60 species: worldwide
Etymology: (Greek: horn, from fruit shape)

Introduced

C. dichotomum L.

Annual 7–18 cm, glandular-hairy
Stem: flower stem ascending to erect
Leaf 10–35 mm, lanceolate; axillary leaf clusters 0
Inflorescence: bracts herbaceous; pedicels in fruit 0.3–0.9 X sepals
Flower: calyx 8.5–12 mm, glandular-hairy, tip ± glabrous, scarious margin of outer sepals < 0.2 mm wide; petals 1.5–3 mm < sepals
Fruit 14–22 mm
Seed 0.9–1.1 mm
Chromosomes: 2n=38
Ecology: Fields, roadsides, disturbed areas
Elevation: 750–850 m.
Bioregional distribution: e Klamath Ranges (Siskiyou Co.)
Distribution outside California: native to sw Europe

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