Stellaria L.
Fls hermaphrodite, regular, solitary or in cymes. Sepals 4-5, free; petals white, 4-5, us. very deeply bifid, sts lacking; stamens 10 or fewer; ovary 1-celled, styles 3 (rarely 2 or 4-5), free to the base; capsule opening by twice as many teeth as there are styles. Slender annual to perennial herbs. Lvs opp., simple, entire, exstipulate. About 85 spp., cosmopolitan. The 6 spp. indigenous to N.Z. are all endemic. Several naturalized spp. are widespread weeds.
Key
3
Plant wiry, yellowish, erect, with tufts of lvs at nodes, peduncles long, fls up to 10 mm. diam., petals bifid
Plant rather succulent, decumbent, fls almost sessile, up to 4 mm. diam., petals absent
5
Sepals narrow with pale conspicuous border, c. 3 mm. long, c. half length mature capsule; seed with low interrupted papillae
Sepals broad without pale conspicuous border, c. 5 mm. long; almost = mature capsule; seed with some sharply triangular projecting papillae
