CLASS VIH. ORDER I.] EPILOBIUM. 643 



said to be preferable for the purposes of the turner : it is frequently 

 used by the mathematical instrument makers instead of the Box or 

 Holly. It is not unfrequently very beautifully veined, and is then 

 much valued by the cabinet-maker for the manufacture of fancy 

 articles. The Romans, we are told, formerly set a high value upon 

 their tables made of this wood. 



GENUS 11. EPILO BIUM Linn. Willow Herb. 



Nat. Ord. ONAGRA'aiiE. Juss. 



Gen. Char. Calyx tubular, four angled, with a four-partite deciduous 



limb. Petals four. Stamens eight. Style filiform, with a two 



or four cleft stigma. Capsule linear, four angled, four celled, 



four valved, and many seeded. Seeds with a tuft of hairs at one 



extremity. — Name from E^rt, upon ; and Xo^o?, a pod ; from the 



flower being placed upon the top of the pod or seed vessel. 



Sect. *. Chamcenerion. Tauch. De Cand. -prod. 3. p. 40. Flowers 



irregular. Petals ovate. Filaments dilated at the hase^ rejlexed. 



Stigmas recurved. Leaves alternate or irregular. 



1. F, angustifoHium, Linn. (Fig. 618.) Rose-hay Willow herb. 

 Leaves scattered, linear, lanceolate, entire, or waved, veined, smooth ; 

 flowers sub-spicate ; petals unequal, obovate, with a short claw. 



English Botany, t. 1947.— English Flora, vol. ii. p. 212.— Hooker, 

 British Flora, vol. i. p. 182. — Lindley, Synopsis, p. 108. — E. spicatum^ 

 Lam. diet. vol. ii. p. 373. — De Cand. Prod. vol. iii. p. 40. 



Root with long creeping fleshy underground stems, putting out 

 numerous stems. Stems from three to six feet high, erect, mostly 

 simple, round, smooth, leafy, mostly reddish above. Leaves numerous, 

 scattered, nearly sessile, linear, lanceolate, smooth, somewhat pellucid, 

 pale and glaucous beneath, with a strong mid-rib and numerous slender 

 netted veins, the margin entire or waved, sometimes slightly toothed. 

 Injlorescence sub-spicate, terminal, of numerous flowers, on short 

 peduncles from the axis of narrow leafy bractea. Flowers inodorous, 

 of 1^ fine crimson colour, with unequal obovate petals, mostly notched, 

 and with a short claw. Calyx with an obtusely angular hoary tube 

 and a limb of four lanceolate deciduous pieces, reddish, and mostly 

 waved on the margin. Stamens on slender filaments, dilated at the 

 base, and becoming reflexed, shorter than the style, with elliptic two 

 celled anthers. Style slender, downy at the base. Stigmas of two or 

 four large recurved lobes, white, at length with the style reflexed. 

 Capsule very long, of four obtuse angles and furrows, four celled, 

 bursting with four linear valves, with central placentas. Seeds very 

 numerous, small, oblong, crowned with a small feathery tuft of white 

 hairs. 



