264 Onagraceae 



3. EPILOBIUM L. WILLOW-HERB. 



Herbs or sometimes shrubby plants with alternate 

 or opposite leaves, and axillary or terminal solitary or 

 racemose flowers. Calyx-tube linear, produced beyond 

 the ovary, the limb 4-parted, deciduous. Petals 4, 

 mostly obovate or obcordate. Stamens 8, anthers oblong 

 or linear, short. Ovary 4-celled ; united styles slender 

 or filiform ; stigma club-shaped or 4-lobed. Capsule 

 elongated, 4-sided, 4-celled, loculicidally dehiscent by 4 

 valves. Seeds small, numerous, with a tuft of hairs 

 (coma) at the summit. 



1. E. paniculatum Nutt. Stems erect at base, slender, terete, 

 loosely dichotomously branched, glabrate at base, somewhat 

 glandular-pubescent above or nearly smooth, 3-8 dm. high; 

 leaves chiefly fascicled and alternate, lanceolate or linear-lance- 

 olate, acute, sparingly denticulate, tapering to a slender winged 

 petiole, 3-5 cm. long, becoming smaller and bract-like above; 

 flowers scattered toward the ends of the branches ; petals about 

 mm. long, violet; capsules fusiform, falcate, about 2 cm. long; 

 seeds about 1 mm. broad, 2 mm. long, papillate. 



Frequent in dry ground in the foothills and mountains. June-August. 



2. E. holosericeum Trelease. Stems slightly woody, loosely 

 branching, 5-8 dm. high, at least the upper leaves and branches 

 canescent with subappressed hairs; leaves 5 cm. long, oblong- 

 lanceolate, obtuse or sometimes acute, undulately low-serrulate, 

 narrowed, or abruptly contracted and then cuneately narrowed 

 into short petioles; flowers in long succession along the elon- 

 gated branches, pale, barely 5 mm. long; fruiting pedicels about 

 1 cm. long; seeds short-beaked, very finely papillate, 0.4 mm. 

 broad, 1 mm. long. 



Frequent in low ground in all our valleys. 



3. E. Californicum Haussk. Rather slender, 5-10 dm. high, 

 somewhat branched above, glabrous below, the inflorescence and 

 buds whitish with rather long coarse ascending hairs ; leaves 

 often 7-10 cm. long, lanceolate, subcordate, acute, remotely ser- 

 rulate, rounded or acutely tapering to short petioles, soon gla- 

 brous; petals 3-5 mm. long, rose-colored; fruiting peduncles 



