' FiQ. 34. Corn-cockle (Agrostcmma Githago), reduced. 36. A pod with the enclosing
calyx divided lengthwise, a A seed.
3*



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58



WEEDS AND USEFUL PLANTS.
2. SAPONA'RIA, L, Soapwoet.
[Latin, Sapo, soap ; its mucilage aflbrding a substitute for that article.]

Calyx tubular, 5-toothed, naked at the base. Stamens 10. Styles 2.
Capsule short-stalked opening with 4 teeth at the apex. Embryo coiled
into a ring.
1. S. officina'lis, L, Leaves oval-lanceolate ; flowers in corymbose
clusters ; petals crowned with an appendage at the top of the claw.
Officinal Saponaeia. Soapwort. Bouncing Bet.
Permnial. Stem 12 -18 Inches high, l^eai^es 1>^- 3 inches long. JTowers large, pale
rose color, often double.
Waste places. Native of Europe . July - Sept.
Ohs, A conspicuous weed, spreading by the root and forming large
bunches near buildings and giving a slovenly appearance to the farm.
The plant has been employed medicinally in Europe, as a substitute for
Sarsaparilla in diseases of the skin. *



Fig. 36. ?oapwort (Saponaria oflBcinalis).
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PINK FAMILY. 69

3. MOLLU'GO, L. Carpet-weed.
[An old Latin name, coined from nu>Qts, soft.]

&pa/s 5, white within. Petals none. Stamens 3-5, hjrpogynous.
Stigmas 3. Pod 3-celled, 3-valved, many-seeded. DiflRisely branched
prostrate annuals,

L M. verticilla'ta, I^- Prostrate and dichotomously branched ; leaves

spatolate, in whorls ; peduncles axillary, 1-flowered, forming umbel-like

clusters.
Verticillatb Molluoo. Carpet-weed. Indian Chickweed.
stem branching in all directions, forming patches a foot or more in diameter. Leava
somewhat succulent, about an inch long, usually in whorls of 6.
Cultivated grounds , common . June - Sept.
Obs, A very common littffi weed in cultivated grounds, especially
where the soil is sandy, throughout the country.
4. CERAS'TIUM, X. Mouse-ear Chickweed.
