Aizoaceae, the Carpet-weed Family
Prostrate herbs, with whorled leaves and small whitish axillary flowers without petals, in summer.
One species in Michigan Carpet-weed, Mollugo verticillata.
Caryophyllaceae, the Pink Family
Herbs, with opposite or whorled entire leaves, and stems frequently swollen at the nodes. Sepals 4 or 5; petals separate, as many as the sepals, or rarely none; stamens twice as many as the petals in plants with conspicuous flowers, sometimes fewer in those with small flowers; ovary 1-celled, with the ovules on a central axis, and with 2-5 styles.
| 1a. Calyx spreading, of separate sepals; flowers 15 mm. wide or less; petals sometimes none — 2. | |
| 1b. Calyx tubular, of united sepals; flowers in many species more than 15 mm. wide; petals always present — 22. | |
| 2a. Stipules present — 3. | |
| 2b. Stipules none — 4. | |
| 3a. Leaves opposite; flowers pink (about 1 dm. high; summer) | Sand Spurrey, Spergularia rubra. |
| 3b. Leaves whorled; flowers white (1-5 dm. high; leaves linear; summer) | Spurrey, Spergula arvensis. |
| 4a. Leaves subulate or thread-like — 5. | |
| 4b. Leaves linear to ovate — 7. | |
| 5a. Leaves opposite (1 dm. high or less; flowers white, summer) | Pearlwort, Sagina procumbens. |
| 5b. Leaves fascicled in the axils — 6. | |
| 6a. Styles 4 or 5 (1 dm. high; terminal white flowers 5 mm. wide, in summer) | Pearlwort, Sagina nodosa. |
| 6b. Styles 3 (1-4 dm. high; flowers white, nearly 1 cm. wide, summer) | Stitchwort, Arenaria stricta. |
| 7a. Petals entire (3 dm. high or less; flowers white, in summer) (Stitchwort) — 8. | |
| 7b. Petals notched or 2-cleft at the end, or none — 11. | |
| 8a. Principal leaves 1 cm. long or less — 9. | |
| 8b. Principal leaves 1.5 cm. long or more — 10. | |
| 9a. Petals half as long as the sepals | Stitchwort, Arenaria leptoclados. |
| 9b. Petals almost as long as the sepals | Stitchwort, Arenaria serpyllifolia. |
| 10a. Leaves oblong-oval, obtuse. | Stitchwort, Arenaria lateriflora. |
| 10b. Leaves lanceolate, acute. | Stitchwort, Arenaria macrophylla. |
| 11a. Capsule splitting by valves at maturity; styles usually 3 (Chickweed) — 12. | |
| 11b. Capsule opening by terminal teeth at maturity; styles usually 5 (tufted or matted plants, 1-5 dm. high; flowers white, in spring and summer) (Mouse-ear Chickweed) — 18. | |
| 12a. Petals distinctly shorter than the sepals, or none — 13. | |
| 12b. Petals as long as the sepals, or longer — 15. | |
| 13a. Leaves ovate (1-3 dm. high; flowers white, all summer) | Chickweed, Stellaria media. |
| 13b. Leaves lanceolate to oblong (in water or wet places, 1-4 dm. high; flowers white, in summer) — 14. | |
| 14a. Flowers in a leafy terminal branching cluster | Chickweed, Stellaria borealis. |
| 14b. Flowers in a lateral cluster with minute bracts | Chickweed, Stellaria uliginosa. |
| 15a. Flowers in clusters with leaf-like bracts, or axillary and solitary (in water or wet places; 1-3 dm. high; flowers white, summer) | Chickweed, Stellaria crassifolia. |
| 15b. Flowers in clusters with scale-like bracts — 16. | |
| 16a. Leaves distinctly linear; cymes lateral; a common species in marshes (2-5 dm. high; flowers white, early summer) | Chickweed, Stellaria longifolia. |
| 16b. Leaves distinctly broadest near the base; flower-cluster terminal — 17. | |
| 17a. Pedicels erect; clusters usually few-flowered; in extreme northern part of the state only (1-3 dm. high; flowers white, summer) | Chickweed, Stellaria longipes. |
| 17b. Pedicels spreading; clusters open, many-flowered (2-6 dm. high; flowers white, in summer) | Chickweed, Stellaria graminea. |
| 18a. Petals distinctly longer than the sepals — 19. | |
| 18b. Petals as long as the sepals, or shorter than them — 21. | |
| 19a. Flowers much less than 1 cm. wide | Mouse-ear Chickweed, Cerastium nutans. |
| 19b. Flowers more than 1 cm. wide — 20. | |
| 20a. Stem-leaves linear or narrowly lanceolate | Mouse-ear Chickweed, Cerastium arvense. |
| 20b. Stem-leaves oblong | Mouse-ear Chickweed, Cerastium arvense var. oblongifolium. |
| 21a. Bracts green; pedicels short and inflorescence crowded | Mouse-ear Chickweed, Cerastium viscosum. |
| 21b. Bracts with transparent white margins; pedicels longer than the calyx and inflorescence open | Mouse-ear Chickweed, Cerastium vulgatum. |
| 22a. Styles 5 — 23. | |
| 22b. Styles 3 (3-10 dm. high; flowers in summer) — 25. | |
| 22c. Styles 2 — 29. | |
| 23a. Calyx-teeth much longer than the calyx-tube (erect, 4-10 dm. high; flowers large, red, late summer) | Corn Cockle, Agrostemma githago. |
| 23b. Calyx-teeth shorter than the calyx-tube (4-10 dm. high; flowers in summer) — 24. | |
| 24a. Flowers crimson | Mullein Pink, Lychnis coronaria. |
| 24b. Flowers white or pink | White Campion, Lychnis alba. |
| 25a. Flowers night-blooming, always wilted during the day | Catchfly, Silene noctiflora. |
| 25b. Flowers open during the day — 26. | |
| 26a. Flowers 6 mm. wide or less, white or pink | Catchfly, Silene antirrhina. |
| 26b. Flowers 1-2 cm. wide, white to pink or purple — 27. | |
| 26c. Flowers 2 cm. wide or more, crimson | Fire Pink, Silene virginica. |
| 27a. Principal leaves in whorls of 4 | Starry Campion, Silene stellata. |
| 27b. Leaves opposite — 28. | |
| 28a. Calyx globular, much inflated or bladder-like | Bladder Campion, Silene latifolia. |
| 28b. Calyx club-shape, not inflated | Sweet William Catchfly, Silene armeria. |
| 29a. Leaves linear or narrowly lanceolate, 5 mm. wide or less (flowers pink or white, in summer) — 30. | |
| 29b. Leaves lanceolate or ovate (flowers pink, white, or red, in summer) — 32. | |
| 30a. Flowers in terminal clusters; leaves hairy (2-4 dm. high) | Deptford Pink, Dianthus armeria. |
| 30b. Flowers solitary at the ends of long pedicels — 31. | |
| 31a. Flowers 3-4 mm. wide (1-2 dm. high) | Gypsophyll, Gypsophila muralis. |
| 31b. Flowers 1 cm. wide or more (1-5 dm. high) | Meadow Pink, Dianthus deltoides. |
| 32a. Flowers less than 1 cm. broad — 33. | |
| 32b. Flowers more than 1 cm. broad — 34. | |
| 33a. Flowers white, in large panicles (4-7 dm. high) | Baby’s Breath, Gypsophila paniculata. |
| 33b. Flowers pale red, in loose clusters (4-10 dm. high) | Cowherb, Saponaria vaccaria. |
| 34a. Leaves with 3-5 prominent veins (4-7 dm. high) | Soapwort, Saponaria officinalis. |
| 34b. Leaves with one mid-vein (3-6 dm. high) | Sweet William, Dianthus barbatus. |