Lll. LYTHRACEiE. 259 



% 

 P. Granatum. Pomegranate. — Arborescent; Zrs. lanceolate, with no margin- 

 al vein.— A thorny bush when wild, from S. Europe, where it is sometimes used 

 for hedges like the hawthorn. Leaves lanceolate, entire, smooth, 2 — 3' by 

 5—10", obtuse. The flowers are scarlet, large, and make a fine appearance. 

 The fruit is large, highly ornamental and of a fine flavor. Much care is requi- 

 site for its cultivation. It requires a rich loam, a sunny situation, protected bj 

 glass. In this way double flowers of great beauty may be produced, f 



P. NANA. Dv^arf Pomegranate. — Shrubby; lis. linear-lanceolate, acute.— Na 

 tive of the W. Indies, where it is used as a hedge plant. Shrub 4 — 6f high, will 

 smaller purple flowers, often double, f 



Order LI. MELASTOMACE^.— Melastomes. 



Tre.es, shruis or herhs vvilh siin.ire liranches, and usually exstipulate. 



Lt's. opposite, entire and undivided, without dots and witli several veins. 



Coi.— Sepals4— 6, united, persistent, the tube urceolate, cohering with only the angles of the ovary. 



Cor.— Petals as many as the segments of the cal.v.\, twisted in festivatioii. 



Sea. twice as many as the petals, sometimes of the same number, the filaments infle.xed in estivation. 



Anth. before flowering contained in the cavity between the cal. and the sides of ova. 



Pr. capsular or baccate. 



Genera 118, species l-»0. The order is represented in the United States by a single genus, the remain 

 der being natives chiefly of I^lia and tropical America. No plant of this order is poisonous. AJl ara 

 slightly astringent. 



RHEXIA. 



Gr. pc^K, a rupture ; some of the species are good vulneraries. 



Calyx 4-cleft, swelling at -the base; petals 4; stamens 8, 1-celled ; 

 style declined ; cajjsule 4-celled, nearly free from the investing calyx 

 tube ; placentrc prominent ; seeds numerous. — '^ Lvs. opposite, exstipu- 

 late, o-veined. 



1. R. ViRGiNiCA. Meadow Bcautij. Deer Grass. 



jS/. with 4-winged angles; lvs. se.ssile, oval-lanceolate, ciliate-serrulate, 

 and with the stem clothed with scattered hairs ; cal. hi.spid. — Grows in wet 

 grounds, Mass. to 111. ! and La. Stem If or more high, often 3-forked above. 

 Leaves with 3 (rarely 5 or 7) prominent veins, ] — 3' long, about i as wide, 

 acute. Flowers large, in corymbose cymes. Petals bright purple, obovate, his- 

 pid beneath, caducous. Anthers long and prominent, crooked, golden yellow 

 above with a purple line beneath. Style somewhat longer than the stamens, a 

 little declined. Jl. Aug. 



2. R. Mariana. Maryland Deer Grass. 



S/. nearly terete, covered with bristly hairs; lvs. lanceolate, acute, atten- 

 uate at base into a very short petiole and, with the calyx, clothed with scattered 

 hairs. — In sandy bogs, N. J. to Flor. The whole plant is hispid, even the pe- 

 tals externally. Stem 1 — 2f high, slender, and generally without branches. 

 Leaves often narrowl}'^ oblong, serrate-ciliate. Petals large, obovate, purple. 

 Jn. — Sept. 



Order LII. LYTPIRACEJE.— Loosestrifes. 



Ite.rhs, rarely shrubs, frequently with 4-cornered branches. 

 'Lvs. opposite, rarely alternate, entire, with neitlier stipules nor glands. 

 Cal. tubular, the limb 4—7 lobed, sometimes with as many intermediate teeth. 

 Cor.— Petals inserted into the caly.v between the lobes, very deciduous, or o. 

 Sta. equal in number to the petals, or '3—4 times as many, inserted into the calyx. 

 Ova. superior, enclosed in the calyx-tube, 2 — 4-celled. Sty. united into one. 

 Fr.— Capsule membranous, enveloped in the calyx, usually by abortion 1-celled. 

 Sds. small, 00, attached to a central placenta. Albumen o. 



Genera 35, species 300. Some of the species are found in temperate climes, but most of them are tra- 

 pical- Lythrum salicaria, native of Europe, N. Holland and U. S., is used for taiming where it aboimds. 

 All the species are astringent. 



Conspectus of the Genera. 



1, horns. Petals Hijpobrichia. S 



S with 4 teeth and 1 4 short horns Ainmannia. I 



fcampanulate, ( with 5 teeth and 5 long horns. Decndon. 3 



< cylindrical, with minute, intermediate horns. LytltriusH. 3 



Calyx ' ventricose, gibbous at base, intermediate horns Cuphca. 4 



