Family Caryophyllaceae
Synonyms: Illecebraceae APNI*
Description: Annual to perennial herbs, rarely subshrubs; stems thickened at the nodes, often appearing jointed; some species with saponins.
Leaves opposite or apparently whorled, simple, entire, often fused at the base or connected by a transverse line; with or without scarious stipules.
Inflorescence usually a terminal leafy cyme, rarely flowers solitary. Flowers actinomorphic, usually bisexual. Sepals 4 or 5, free or joined, imbricate, persistent. Petals the same number as the sepals, imbricate, free, often clawed, often with coronal scales; occasionally absent. Stamens usually same number as sepals, dehiscent by a longitudinal slit. Ovary superior, mostly 1-locular with free-central placentation, or 3-locular at base with axile placentation and 1-locular above; rarely 1-locular with basal placentation and 1 or rarely 2 ovules; ovules usually numerous; styles 2–5, free or joined below.
Fruit usually a capsule opening by terminal teeth; teeth as many as, or twice as many as styles; sometimes an indehiscent berry, nutlet or achene; seeds usually numerous and variously sculptured.
Distribution and occurrence: World: 80 genera, 2000 species, chiefly northern temperate regions but a few genera of southern temperate regions & high altitude tropical. Australia: 25 genera, 75 species, all States.
External links:
Angiosperm Phylogeny Website (Family: Caryophyllaceae, Order: Caryophyllales)
Wikipedia A number of species are grown as ornamentals (for example, Carnation and Sweet William, Dianthus species), and some are familiar weeds.
Text by A. Doust
Taxon concept:
Taxa not yet included in identification key
Holosteum
| | Key to the genera | |
| 1 | Stipules present | 2 |
| Stipules absent | 8 |
| 2 | Fruit a 1-seeded indehiscent nutlet enclosed in the calyx | 3 |
| Fruit a capsule with 2 to many seeds, opening by teeth at the summit
Back to 1 | 4 |
| 3 | Leaves awned; sepals glabrous or almost so, reddish, awned; stamens 5 | Paronychia |
| Leaves not awned; sepals covered with stiff bristles, green, not awned; stamens 2
Back to 2 | Herniaria |
| 4 | Leaves linear to terete | 5 |
| Leaves obovate to broad-ovate or reniform
Back to 2 | 7 |
| 5 | Bracts very conspicuous, scarious, white, pink, or purple | Polycarpaea |
| Bracts inconspicuous or absent
Back to 4 | 6 |
| 6 | Stipules conspicuous; capsule with 3 teeth | Spergularia |
| Stipules inconspicuous and often falling early; capsule with 5 teeth
Back to 5 | Spergula |
| 7 | Leaves obovate to spathulate, often in groups of 4; sepals hooded and keeled | Polycarpon |
| Leaves broad-ovate to reniform; sepals neither hooded nor keeled
Back to 4 | Drymaria |
| 8 | Sepals fused into a tube | 9 |
| Sepals free
Back to 1 | 17 |
| 9 | Fruit indehiscent, a 1-seeded nutlet | Scleranthus |
| Capsule opening by teeth; seeds 2 to many
Back to 8 | 10 |
| 10 | Capsule with 4 teeth | 11 |
| Capsule with 5, 6, or 10 teeth
Back to 9 | 15 |
| 11 | Flowers enclosed or surrounded by large bracts | 12 |
| Flowers not surrounded or enclosed by large bracts
Back to 10 | 13 |
| 12 | Bracts herbaceous (at least at apex), surrounding but not enclosing the flower | Dianthus |
| Bracts scarious, broad, enclosing the flower
Back to 11 | Petrorhagia |
| 13 | Calyx tube green all over | Saponaria |
| Calyx tube with 5 scarious fissures
Back to 11 | 14 |
| 14 | Sepal midribs winged | Vaccaria |
| Sepal midribs not winged
Back to 13 | Gypsophila |
| 15 | Capsule with 5 teeth | 16 |
| Capsule with 6 or 10 teeth
Back to 10 | Silene |
| 16 | Sepals with apex long and foliose | Agrostemma |
| Sepals without apex long and foliose
Back to 15 | Silene |
| 17 | Capsule teeth 4 or 5 | 18 |
| Capsule teeth 6, 8 or 10
Back to 8 | 19 |
| 18 | Leaves closely packed; sepals not hooded; capsule opening at the summit by short teeth | Colobanthus |
| Leaves spaced; sepals hooded; capsule teeth splitting almost to base
Back to 17 | Sagina |
| 19 | Capsule teeth 6 | 20 |
| Capsule teeth 8 or 10
Back to 17 | 21 |
| 20 | Capsule conical to globose, opening at the summit by short teeth | Arenaria |
| Capsule ovoid to oblong, teeth splitting almost to base
Back to 19 | Stellaria |
| 21 | Flowers solitary or 3 together in a cyme; capsule straight, opening by 8 teeth | Moenchia |
| Flowers many in cymes; capsule curved, opening by 10 teeth
Back to 19 | Cerastium |
|
