LYTHRARIE^:. VII. LYTHRUM. 



711 



tered moist situation. None of the species are worth growing, 

 unless in botanic gardens. 



VII. LY'THRUM (\v6pov, lythron, black-blood ; from the 

 purple colour of the flowers). Juss. gen. p. 332. D. C. prod. 

 ',}. p. 80. Salicaria, Tourn. inst. 253. Lythrum species of Lin. 

 and Lam. 



LIN. SYST. Dodecdndria, Afonogynia. Calyx cylindrical, 

 striated, with 8-12 teeth, of which from 4-6 are broader than the 

 rest, and erect ; the others smaller and spreading. Petals 4-6, 

 inserted in the orifice of the calyx, alternating with its erect 

 teeth. Stamens inserted in the middle, or at the base 

 of the tube of the calyx, twice as numerous as the petals, 

 or occasionally fewer. Style filiform ; stigma capitate. Cap- 

 sule oblong, included in the calyx, 2-celled, many-seeded. Pla- 

 centas thick, adnate to the dissepiment. Herbs, seldom sub- 

 shrubs. Leaves entire. Flowers axillary, purple or white. 

 Stems square. 



SECT. I. AMMANNIOIDES (containing plants with the habit of 

 Ammunnia). D. C. in mem. soc. gen. and prod. 3. p. 81. Sta- 

 mens 4-6. Petals wanting ? Calyx tubularly campanulate. 



1 L. ? NUMMULARLEFOLIUM (Lois. not. p. 74. but not of Pers.) 

 glabrous ; stem herbaceous, branched ; leaves obovate-roundish, 

 obtuse, opposite, but some of the rameal ones are alternate ; 

 flowers axillary, solitary, apetalous. Q. H. Native of Corsica. 

 Calyx nearly of Ammdnnia, 8-16-toothed, the alternate teeth 

 small and horn-formed. Petals wanting, or falling off very 

 early. Stamens 4-8, inclosed. Capsule ovate, 2-celled. This 

 plant is an Ammdnnia in flower, but a Lythrum in fruit. 



Money-wort-leaved Purple Loosestrife. PL 



SECT. II. HYSSOPIFOLIA (plants agreeing in character with L. 

 hyssopifbliuni). D. C. mem. soc. gen. 3. part 2. p. 78. prod. 3. 

 p. 81. Hyssopifolia, C. Bauh. pinn. p. 218. Pythagorea, 

 Rafin. journ. phys. aug. 1819. p. 96. but not of Lour. Stamens 

 equal in number to the petals, rarely double that number. 

 Flowers solitary in the axils of the leaves, never disposed in 

 spikes. Plants nearly all glabrous in every part. 



* Stamens usually equal in number to the petals. 



2 L. THYMIFOLIUM (Lin. spec. 642.) leaves alternate, linear, 

 acutish ; flowers almost sessile, shorter than the leaves ; bracteas 

 foliaceous, linear, usually longer than the calyx ; petals 4-5 ; 

 stamens 2. O- B. H. Native of Egypt, Mauritania, and many 

 parts of the south of Europe, in salt marshes by the sea side ; 

 and a plant very much resembling the present species, if not the 

 same, was collected about Conception in Chili, by Captain Du- 

 mont D'Urville. J. Bauh. hist. 3. p. 792. Barrel, icon. t. 773. 

 f. 2. Pentaglossum linifolium, Forsk. descrip. no. 11. Salicaria 

 thymifolia, Lam. fl. fr. Stems erect. Flowers small, pale 

 lilac. 



Var. /3, major (D. C. prod. 3. p. 81.) stems more branched, 

 elongated; leaves linear-lanceolate. O- B. H. Native about 

 Montpelier. L. bibracteatum, Salzm. in litt. Habit of L. hys- 

 sopifolium, but the character is that of L. thymifolium. 



Thyme-leaved Purple-Loosestrife. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1816. 

 PI. I to 1 foot. 



3 L. THESIOIDES (Bieb. fl. taur. 1. p. 367.) leaves alternate, 

 linear-lanceolate ; capsule nearly globose, 4-toothed, pedicellate. 

 0. B. H. Native of Caucasus. Flowers the size of those of 

 L. thymifdHum, but the fruit is globose, and the plant is probably 

 generically distinct. 



Thesium-like Purple-Loosestrife. Fl. July, Sept. Clt. 1828. 

 PI. 1 foot. 



4 L. UNEA'RE (Lin. spec. C41.) leaves linear, for the most 

 part opposite, acute ; flowers on short pedicels, about the length 



of the leaves, bibracteate at the base ; petals and stamens 6. 

 "if.. H. Native of Virginia and Carolina, by the sea side. Pursh, 

 fl. amer. sept. 1. p. 334. Pythagorea linearis, Rafin. I.e. Stem 

 erect, angular. Calyx 1 0-striped. Corolla white. 



Zmear-leaved Purple-Loosestrife. Fl. July, Aug. Clt. 1812. 

 PI. 3 to 4 feet. 



5 L. ALA'TUM (Pursh, fl. amer. sept. 1. p. 334. but not of 

 Presl.) leaves opposite, ovate-oblong, acute, rather cordate at 

 the base, sessile, or on very short petioles ; branches twiggy, 

 tetragonally winged ; flowers almost sessile, erect, 6-petalled, 

 hexandrous, furnished with two minute bracteas. 1(.. F. Na- 

 tive of North America, in a part of Lower Georgia, and of 

 Mexico. Sims, bot. mag. 1812. L. vulneraria, Schrank, hort. 

 mon. t. 27. L. acinacifolium, Moc. et Sesse, fl. mex. icon, 

 ined. L. Kennedyanum, H. B. et Kunth, nov. gen. amer. 6. 

 p. 194. L. Virginicum, Kenn. ex Kunth. Pythagorea alata, 

 Rafin. 1. c. Flowers beautiful purple. An elegant half-shrubby 

 plant. 



Winged- stemmed Purple-Loosestrife. Fl. May, Nov. Clt. 

 1812. PI. 1 to 4 feet. 



6 HYSSOPIFOLIUM (Lin. spec. 642.) leaves linear-lanceolate, 

 bluntish ; lower ones opposite, upper ones alternate ; flowers 

 axillary, solitary, nearly sessile, each with a pair of small brac- 

 teas at the base ; stamens 6. B. H. Native throughout 

 the whole of Europe, also to be found in North and South Ame- 

 rica, New Holland, and the Cape of Good Hope, where it has 

 probably been introduced ; in partially dried up pits or ditches, 

 or places where water has stagnated during winter. In Eng- 

 land, on Hounslow heath ; in several parts of Cambridgeshire, 

 Huntingdonshire, Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire, Suffolk, and Wor- 

 cestershire, but by no means common. Jacq. fl. austr. t. 133. 

 L. hyssopifolium, Smith, engl. bot. t. 292. Hyssopifolia, Bauh. 

 pin. 218. Salicaria hyssopifolium, Lam. Mcench. Flowers 

 small, light purple. The L. hyssopifolium, Brot. fl. lus. 2. p. 

 244. is said by Link to be a distinct species, which he calls L. 

 meonanthum, but the character given by Brotero is too imper- 

 fect to decide this point. 



Var. ft, acutifblium (D. C. prod. 3. p. 82.) leaves acutish. Q. 

 H. Native of temperate parts of Europe. L. thymifolium, 

 Hoffm. fl. germ. 1800. p. 213. but not of Lin. 



Var. ft, virgultbsum (D. C. prod. 3. p. 82.) steins siiffVuti- 

 cose; flowers on long pedicels. . H. Native of St. Do- 

 mingo. L. lineare, Bertero, ined. L. virgatum, Spreng. in herb. 

 Balb. Perhaps a proper species. 



Var. S? tenellmn (D. C. 1. c.) leaves oblong. Native of the 

 Cape of Good Hope. L. tenellum, Thunb. fl. cap. Perhaps a 

 proper species. 



Hyssop-leaved Purple-Loosestrife. Fl. May. Britain. PI. 

 1 foot, straggling and recumbent. 



7 L. TRIBRACTEA'TUM (Salzm ex Schlecht. et Cham, in Lin- 

 naea. 2. p. 356.) stem branched to the apex ; branches alternate ; 

 leaves lanceolate, obtuse, and as if they were roundly truncate ; 

 flowers axillary, each furnished with a pair of bracteas at the 

 base; petals 5 ; stamens 5 ; calyx 10-toothed. Q. H. Native 

 of the south of Europe. Barrel, icon. 773. f. 2. ? Petals pur- 

 ple. Less glaucous than L. hyssopifolium. Parts of flowers 

 quinary. 



Three-bracteated Purple-Loosestrife. PL 1 foot. 



8 L. LANCEOLA'TUM (Ell. sketch. 1. p. 544.) stem branched, 

 suffruticose at the base, quadrangular, winged ; branches diffuse, 

 rather pubescent ; leaves opposite, almost sessile, oblong-lanceo- 

 late, acutish, glabrous, rounded at the base, with the margins a 

 little ciliated ; pedicels axillary, 3-4-together ; flowers verticil- 

 late, dodecandrous ; style inclosed ; petals 5-6-7. 1. H. Na- 

 tive of Carolina, and probably of Mexico, in marshes and humid 

 places. L. virgatum, Walt. car. 120. Pursh, fl. amer. sept. 1. 



