CALYCIFLORiE 241 



River-banks, ditches, marshy places or damp places 

 generally are the spots in which to find this plant. 

 It is found in the freshwater aquatic formation, in 

 the reed-swamp association in the lowlands. It is 

 also found in the fen association in river-valleys in 

 East Anglia. 



The habit is erect, the rootstock creeping, the 

 stems stout, slightly branched, either smooth or 

 softly downy, four- to six-angled or winged. The 

 leaves are opposite, or in threes or fours, stalkless, 

 clasping the stem below, acute, lance-shaped, willow- 

 like (hence salicaria), entire, heart-shaped at the 

 base, the upper ones not so long as the flowers, or 

 longer. 



The flowers are purple, or blood red (hence lythrum, 

 gore), in whorls in a spike, with small or no bracts. 

 The calyx-teeth are awl-like, twice as long as the 

 short inner ones, twelve-ribbed. The petals are 

 narrow to oblong, wrinkled. The capsule is ovoid. 

 There are twelve stamens, and the styles are of 

 three different lengths in the three types of flower. 



The flowers are in bloom from July to September. 

 The plant is a herbaceous perennial, 2 to 5 ft. in 

 height. 



The flowers contain honey, and the stigma and 

 anthers ripen together, but the flowers, being tri- 

 morphic, cross-pollination is rendered possible by the 

 heterostylic adaptation. The style is long, inter- 

 mediate, or short. The filaments differ also, as do the 

 pollen-grains. The long-styled form is hairless, 



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