LYTHRACE^. 1 59 



LYTHRACE/L. 



Tribe— AMMANNIEM. 

 Small often aquatic herbs with opposite entire ex- 

 stipulate leaves and the ovary free in the membranous 

 deeply hollowed calyx-tube. 



The family lythrack.^ is a medium sized one of 200 to 300 species 

 and includes lythrum {L. salicaria the Purple Loosetrife) ; lagerstrcemia, 

 (Z. Flos-regifice and L. indica common in Madras gardens) ; and the Pome- 

 granate. 



ROTALA. 



Part of AMMANNIA. F.B.I. 61 I. 



Small herbs with opposite leaves distinguished 



among other nearly allied genera and from the rest of 



AMMANNIA by the capsule splitting septicidally into 



its constituent carpels which have cartilaginous walls 



showing under strong magnification numerous close 



horizontal striae. Sepals and petals four to six : stamens 



one to six : ovary one-celled at the top : seeds few, not 



winged. 



Species about 38, mostly in the warmer parts of Asia (21) 

 and Africa (17) ; also in Australia and central Europe. 



The genus is a Linnsean one, combined later with ammannia, but 

 again separated. See Engler's PfianzeHrHch IV, 216 Lythracea, s. 40. 



Ammannia rotundifolia Hamilton ; KB. I. ii 566, 1 3 ; a 

 small herb growing by the waterside, with opposite 

 leaves ^ inch long, and dense terminal spikes of small 

 pink flowers in the axils of green bracts. 



Stem often creeping at the base, 3 to 8 inches. Leaves 

 5^ to 1/5 inch long and a little narrower, subsessile, round 

 or obovate,very obtuse, penninerved. Racemes terminal, 

 dense bracts green, 1/12 inch, broadly ovate acute, adnate 

 to the pedicel : bracteoles very narrow. Calyx i/io to % 

 inch long and broad, membranous, with four triangular 

 teeth. Petals four, obovate twice as long as the tube, 



