156 THE LTTHRUM FAMILY. [Lythrum. 



entire, from 2 to 3 inches long. Flowers reddish-purple or pink, in 

 rather dense whorls, forming handsome terminal spikes, more or less 

 leafy at the base ; the upper floral leaves reduced to bracts scarcely 

 longer or even shorter than the flowers. Calyx about 3 lines long, with 

 as many ribs as teeth, of these the outer ones are subulate, the inner 

 ones short and broad. Petals oblong, often near half an inch long. 



In wet ditches and marshy places, throughout Europe and Russian 

 and central Asia, in Australia, and North America. Abundant in 

 England, Ireland, and southern and western Scotland, very local in the 

 east and north. PL summer. [The flowers of the Purple. Loosestrife are 

 trimorphic, differing in the comparative length of the stamens and 

 styles. Thus individual plants have 1. Long styles and medium 

 stamens ; 2. Long styles and short stamens ; 3. Medium styles and long 

 stamens ; 4. Medium styles and short stamens ; 5. Short styles and 

 long stamens ; 6. Short styles and medium stamens. These differences 

 are accompanied with others in the colour of the flowers, and colour 

 and size of the pollen grains.] 



2. L. hyssopifolium, Linn. (fig. 356). Hyssop Z. A glabrous 

 annual, seldom more than 6 or 8 inches high, the stems slightly 

 branched, and decumbent at the base, or, in starved specimens, erect 

 and simple. Leaves sessile, narrow, and entire, barely half an inch 

 long ; the lower ones opposite, the upper ones alternate. Flowers 

 small and solitary in the axils of the upper leaves ; the calyx scarcely 

 more than a line long, with minute teeth ; the petals purple, about 

 half that length. 



In moist or muddy places, especially those which are occasionally 

 inundated. Widely spread over central and southern Europe, all across 

 central Asia, in North and South America, South Africa and Australia, 

 but not so common in Europe as the L. Salicaria. In Britain it occurs in 

 a few of the southern and eastern counties of England. PL. summer. 



II. PEPLIS. PEPLIS. 



Small glabrous annuals, with opposite entire leaves, and minute axillary 

 flowers. Calyx shortly campanulate, with 6 external and 6 internal 

 smaller teeth. Petals very minute or none. Stamens 6. Style very 

 short, scarcely distinct. Capsule globular. 



A genus of very few species, widely spread over Europe, Asia, and 

 Africa. 



1 . F. Portula, Linn. (fig. 357). Wa lev Purslane. A. slightly branched 

 annual, creeping and rooting at the base, seldom above 2 or 3 inches high, 

 but sometimes many plants grow together in broad tufts or patches. 

 Leaves obovate or oblong, seldom half an inch long, tapering into a stalk 

 at the base. Flowers sessile in the axils of nearly all the leaves. Capsules 

 enclosed in somewhat enlarged calyx, but seldom attaining a line in 

 diameter. 



In wet ditches, and moist, watery places, in central and southern 

 Europe to the Caucasus, extending northward to Scandinavia, but not 

 recorded from Siberia or central Asia. Frequent in England and Ireland, 

 l/?gs so jn Scotland. PL all summer. 



