1/0 Mr. Stephens on Epilobium angustifolium. 



XXII. — On Epilobium angustifolium, and species which have 

 been confounded with it. By Mr. H. O. Stephens. 



To the Editors of the Annals and Magazine of Natural History. 



There appears to be two species of -E^?7o5mm confounded by 

 British botanists with E. angustifolium, Linn. ; one is proba- 

 bly indigenous, the other certainly so. I shall endeavour to 

 furnish discriminating characters. 



1st. Epilobium angustifolium, Linn. Leaves scattered, rather 

 broadly lanceolate, veined, smooth ; inflorescence subspicate ; 

 petals unequal ; genitalia declined ; stigma large, club-shaped ; 

 capsule short, turgid. Species Plantar. 493 ; Alton, Hort. Kew., 

 tom. ii. p. 4 ; Smith, Eng. Flor., torn. ii. 212 ; Eng. Bot., tab. 

 1947; Hooker, ed. iii. 182; Lindley, lOS. E. sjncatum, DeCan- 

 dolle, Prodrom., pars iii. p. 40. Lysimachia speciosa, &c.. 

 Rail Synop., 310. Chamce7ierion, Ger. Emac, p. 477- %• 7- 



This is the common plant of the gardens, and is figured in 

 ' English Botany.' The leaves are of a very dark green colour, 

 rather broadly lanceolate, distantly and faintly serrated, in 

 general outline resembling those of Salix alba. The upper 

 part of the stem, towards the spike of flowers, very obscurely 

 angular ; flowers deep crimson ; capsules short and very turgid. 



2nd. Epilobium macrocarpum. Leaves scattered, linear- 

 lanceolate, veined, smooth ; inflorescence subspicate ; petals 

 unequal ; genitalia declined ; capsule very long, linear. 



This plant is of a lighter and more elegant habit than the 

 former ; the flowers are of a paler shade, inclining to rose-co- 

 lour ; upper portion of the stem, towards the inflorescence, of 

 a coral-red, and acutely angular. Stigma much smaller than 

 in E. angustifolium, barely club-shaped. Leaves very pale 

 green, narrow, lanceolate, distantly and faintly toothed, in ge- 

 neral outUne resembling those of ^alix viminalis. Capsule 

 very long, exceeding three inches in length, quite linear, with- 

 out the least turgescence. 



This plant differs from Epilobium angustifolium, Linn., in 

 the leaves being narrow-lanceolate, of a very pale green, in 

 the smaller stigma, paler flowers and more angular stem ; but 

 the specific difference consists in the very long linear capsule, 

 totally unlike the short and turgid seed-vessel of E. angusti- 

 folium, Linn. Modern Bi'itish botanists deny (unnecessarily, 

 1 think,) E. angustifolium to be a native plant ; it was consi- 

 dered as such by Gerarde and Ray ; and as it abounds in 

 Sweden in situations much like those in which it is found 

 here, this strengthens the supposition of its nationality. How- 

 ever this may be, there can be no doubt that the second spe- 



