70 



BRITISH FLOWERING PLANTS 



lated. They are grey-green on the under-surface, 

 with very prominent veins. The corolla has four 

 obovate, reddish-purple petals. The fruit is a 

 quadrifid capsule, and the seed is furnished with 

 a feathery awn. It is an astringent plant, some- 

 times used in medicine. 



Rosemary Willow-herb — Epilobium Dodontzi 

 (Plate XXXVI) 



This species is not British, but grows in the 

 gravelly soil near rivers and streams, chiefly in 

 mountainous districts, in Eastern Germany, Swit- 

 zerland, etc. The root throws off thick lateral 

 shoots of a purple colour, and clusters of stalks 

 which are woody beneath the rind. The leaves 

 are grass-green on both surfaces, rather fleshy, and 

 are obtusely pointed. They are mostly entire, but 

 often finely denticulated. The flower has 4 sepals, 

 4 petals, and 8 stamens. The stamens slope less 

 than in the last species, but the style bends down 

 in a curve. 



Many caterpillars of Hawk-moths feed on differ- 



ent species of Willow-herb, especially those of the 

 Large and Small Elephant Hawk-moths (Chczro- 

 campa Elpenor and C. Porcellus). These caterpillars 

 are green or brown; the former with a short horn on 

 the back, wanting in the latter. The front segments 

 of the body are retractile, giving the caterpillars 

 a fanciful sort of resemblance to an elephant's 

 trunk, whence the name. The moths are very 

 handsome; ih or 2 inches respectively across the 

 long and rather pointed wings, which are banded 

 with green and rosy in the former species, and 

 yellow with rosy borders in the latter. 



Evening Primrose — CEnothera biennis 



(Plate XXXVII) 



This is an American plant, which was brought 

 from Virginia in the year 16 14, and has run wild 

 in sandy places in many parts of Europe — in 

 England more especially on the coast of Lanca- 

 shire. The root is spindle-shaped and soft, yellow 

 outside and white inside. The stem is erect, some- 

 what angular, rather rough and hairy, branching 



