468 ELAEAGNACEAE, {Vor. Il. 
2. Lepargyraea argéntea (Nutt.) Greene. Buffalo-berry. Rabbit-berry. 
(Fig. 2538.) 
Bieognes argentea Nutt. Fraser’s Cat. 
1813. 
Shepherdia argentea Nutt. Gen. 2: 241, 1818. 
Lepargyraea argentea Greene, Pittonia, 2: 
122. 1890. 
A shrub, 6°-18° high, the twigs often 
terminating in thorns. Leaves oblong, 
or sometimes oblong lanceolate, 1/-2/ 
long, rarely more than 14’ wide, obtuse 
at the apex, usually cuneate-narrowed at 
the base, densely silvery-scurfy on both 
sides; petioles 2’/-6’’ long; flowers fas- 
cicled at the nodes, the globose buds 
very silvery; fruit oval, or ovoid, scarlet, 
sour, 2’/-3/’ long, edible. 
Manitoba and Minnesota to Saskatche- 
wan, Kansas and Nevada. April-May. 
Called also Beef-suet Tree, Silver Leaf. 
Fruit ripe July-Aug. 
Family 85. LYTHRACEAE Lindl. Nat. Syst. Ed. 2, 100. 1836. 
LOOSESTRIFE FAMILY. 
Herbs, shrubs, or often trees in tropical regions, mostly with opposite leaves 
and solitary or clustered perfect flowers. Stipules usually none. Calyx per- 
sistent, free from the ovary, but generally enclosing it, the limb toothed and 
often with accessory teeth in the sinuses. Petals as many as the primary 
calyx-teeth or none, inserted on the calyx. Disk annular or none. Stamens 
various, inserted on the calyx. Anthers versatile, longitudinally dehiscent. 
Ovary sessile or stipitate, 2—-6-celled or sometimes 1-celled; style 1; stigma 
capitate or 2-lobed; ovules , rarely few, anatropous. Capsule 1-sey- 
eral-celled, variously dehiscent or sometimes indehiscent. Seeds without endo- 
sperm; cotyledons flat, often auricled at the base. 
About 21 genera and 350 species, of wide geographic distribution, most abundant in tropical 
America. 
Calyx-tube campanulate or hemispheric; flowers regular. 
Flowers small, axillary, solitary or few; low herbs. 
Petals 4 in our species; capsule bursting irregularly. 1. Ammannia. 
Petals none; capsule indehiscent. 2. Didtplis. 
Petals 4; capsule septicidally dehiscent. 3. Rotala. 
Flowers large, in axillary cymes; large aquatic shrub. 4. Decodon. 
Calyx-tube cylindric; flowers regular. 5. Lythrum. 
Calyx-tube tubular, oblique; flowers irregular. 6. Parsonsia, 
1. AMMANNIA L,. Sp. Plo 219.) 1753: 
Annual glabrous or glabrate herbs, mostly with 4-angled stems, opposite sessile narrow 
leaves, and small axillary solitary or clustered flowers. Calyx campanulate, globose or 
ovoid, 4-angled, 4-toothed, often with small accessory teeth in the sinuses. Petals 4 in our 
species, deciduous. Stamens 4-8, inserted on the calyx-tube; filaments slender or short. 
Ovary enclosed in the calyx-tube, nearly globular, 2-4-celled, bursting irregularly. [Named 
for Johann Ammann, 1699-1741, a German botanist. ] 
About 20 species, of wide geographic distribution, most abundant in warm regions. Besides 
the following, another occurs in the Southern States. 
Flowers sessile, solitary, or 2-3 together. 
Leaves linear-lanceolate, acuminate; style elongated. 1. A. coccinea. 
Leaves obovate or oblanceolate, obtuse; style very short. 2. A. Koehnet. 
Flowers pedicelled, in axillary cymes. 3. A. auriculata. 
