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 ).

MOEHRINGIA

Perennial, ascending to erect, rhizomed
Leaf: petiole very short or 0; blade ± lanceolate or elliptic; vein 1
Inflorescence: cyme, terminal or axillary; flowers 2–5; pedicels 2–15+ mm
Flower: hypanthium short, obscure; sepals 5, ± free, 2.8–5.5 mm, ± ovate, minutely ciliate; petals 5, 2–8 mm, entire; stamens arising from a disk; styles 3, 2–3 mm
Fruit: capsule, widely ovoid; teeth 6, ± recurved
Seeds few, reddish brown to blackish; appendage ± 0.7 mm, ± elliptic, spongy
Species in genus: 25 species: n temp
Etymology: (P.H.G. Moehring, Danzig naturalist, 1710–1791)
Reference: [McNeill 1980 Rhodora 82:495–502]