1936 



LYSIMACHIA 



LYSIMACHIA 



punctate: fls. spicate, racemose or solitary, with a rotate 

 or campanulate, 5-parted corolla with an equal number 

 of slightly monadelphous stamens opposite the lobes: 

 caps. 1-loculed, with many seeds on a central placenta. 

 Over 100 species found in temperate and subtropical 

 regions of all parts of the world. Only a few in cult., and 

 these all perennials. They differ from related genera in 

 the absence of staminodia between the stamens, which 

 are usually slightly united. Revision, Knuth in Das 

 Pflanzenreich, hft. 22, p. 256 (1905). 



The loosestrifes are of easy culture, thriving best in 

 moist situations. Propagation is by division in late 

 autumn or early spring. 



aurea, 2. 

 barystachys, 10. 

 brachystachys, 10. 

 clethroides, 12. 

 Ephemerum, 9. 

 Fortune!, 11. 



INDEX. 



Hillebrandii, 1. 

 Leschenaultii, 13. 

 Nummularia, 2. 

 nutans, 14. 

 paridiformis, 4. 

 punctata, 8. 



quadrifolia, 6. 

 strirta, 5. 

 terrestris, 5. 

 thyrsiflora, 3. 

 verticittata, 8. 

 vulgaris, 7. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES. 



A. Plant shrubby 1. Hillebrandii 



AA. Plant herbaceous. 



B. Color of fls. yellow. 



c. St. creeping: Ivs. round-ovate, 



obtuse 2. Nummularia 



cc. St. erect: Ivs. ovate-lanceolate or 



linear, mostly acute. 

 D. Fls. in dense axillary peduncu- 

 late clusters 3. thyrsiflora 



DD. Fls. in dense terminal clusters 

 surrounded by large Ivs.: 



cauline Ivs. very small 4. paridiformis 



DDD. F Is. racemose or axillary. 



E. Whole plant glabrous or 

 nearly so: fls. 36 lines 

 broad. 



F. The fls. in terminal ra- 

 cemes 5. terrestris 



FF. The fls. axillary 6. quadrifolia 



EE. Whole plant densely pubes- 

 cent: fls. 9-12 lines broad. 

 F. Calyx 2 lines long, dark- 

 margined: fls. in leafy 



panicles 7. vulgaris 



FF. Calyx 3^2-5 lines long, not 

 dark-margined: fls. axil- 

 lary 8. punctata 



BB. Color of fls. white: pedicels short. 



c. Lvs. opposite, somewhat connate . . 9. Ephemerum 

 cc. Lvs. alternate, attenuate at base. 

 D. Blades glaucous beneath, oblong- 

 linear 10. barystachys 



DD. Blades green, lanceolate or 



ovate-lanceolate. 



E. Plant glabrous: Ivs. oblong. .11. Fortune! 

 EE. Plant puberulent: Ivs. ovate . . 12. clethroides 

 BBB. Color of fls. red, blue or purple. 



c. Calyx-lobes acuminate, slightly 

 shorter than the entire-lobed 



corolla 13. Leschenaultii 



cc. Calyx-lobes obtuse, much shorter 

 than the usually erose-lobed 

 corolla 14. nutans 



1. Hillebrandii, Hook. Shrub 1^-8 ft. high, densely 

 branched, often red-tomentose : Ivs. alternate, sub- 

 opposite or subverticillate, lanceolate, ovate or linear, 

 acuminate at each end, coriaceous, short-petioled : 

 calyx-lobes acuminate; corolla reddish purple, cam- 

 panulate; lobes obovate, obtuse; stamens included. 

 Hawaiian Isls. 



2. Nummularia, Linn. MONEYWORT. CREEPING 

 CHARLIE. CREEPING JENNY. Glabrous, forming large 

 patches: Ivs. opposite, rarely cordate, petiolate, H>-1 in. 

 long: fls. 8-12 lines broad; sepals cordate or lanceolate, 

 acute, half as long as the 5 oval, sparingly dark-dotted 

 corolla-lobes; filaments glandular. June- Aug. Eu.; 

 also naturalized extensively in the E. U. S. R.H. 1891, 

 p. 303; 1899, p. 21. B.B. 2:589. Very useful for rustic 



vases and baskets, also for carpeting ground in shady 

 places. Sometimes a low weed in lawns. Var. aurea, 

 Hort. Lvs. all or in part bright yellow. 



3. thyrsiflora, Linn. (Naumburgia guttala, Moench). 

 Glabrous: st. simple, 1-3 ft. high: Ivs. opposite, lan- 

 ceolate: fls. small, 2-3 lines long, yellow, in short 

 pedunculate axillary heads; calyx-lobes narrow; corolla- 

 lobes linear, dotted. Swamps, N. E. N. Amer. and Eu. 

 B.M. 2012. Prefers shallow water. 



4. paridiformis, Franch. Glabrous: st. verticillately 

 branched above: upper Ivs. large, 3-5 in. long, whorled, 

 sessile, elliptic or obovate-lanceolate, acuminate, glau- 

 cous beneath; lower very small, opposite: fls. large, 

 yellow, condensed into a dense cluster surrounded by 

 large Ivs., sometimes also axillary clusters; sepals lance- 

 subulate; corolla campanulate; lobes lanceolate, acute; 

 stamens included. China. B.M. 7226. 



5. terrestris, BSP. (L. stricta, Soland.). Simple or 

 branched, glabrous, 8 in. to 2 ft. high: Ivs. opposite, 

 lance-linear, acute at both ends, glaucous beneath, 

 scarcely veiny, 1-3 in. long: fls. 3-5 lines broad, very 

 numerous, in a distinct, elongated, terminal raceme; 

 pedicels 3-9 lines long, slender; corolla yellow, the 

 lobes elliptical, streaked with dark lines; filaments 

 glandular. Common on moist ground in the E. U. S. 

 B.M. 104 (as L. bulbifera). B.B. 2:588. Blanchan Nat. 

 Gard., p. 324. Often bears bulblets in the If.-axils after 

 flowering. 



6. quadrifolia, Linn. Usually simple, sometimes 

 slightly pubescent, 1-3 ft. high: Ivs. verticillate, in 3's 

 4's, rarely some opposite, lanceolate, oblong or ovate, 

 acute, 1-4 in. long, green beneath, veiny: fls. axillary, 

 3-6 lines broad, on very slender pedicels, which are 

 3^-1^ in. long; calyx and corolla as in L. terrestris. 

 Dry soil. E.U.S. B.B. 2:588. 



7. vulgaris, Linn. COMMON YELLOW LOOSESTRIFE. 

 Tall and erect, 2-3 ft. high, and stout; branahed above, 

 downy, especially on the st. : Ivs. verticillate, in 3's-4's, 

 ovate-lanceolate or lance-oval, acute at both ends, 

 nearly sessile: fls. in the upper axils, or densely panicu- 

 late at the summit; calyx often dark-margined; corolla 

 large, the lobes broad, glabrous. Eu., Asia. R.H. 1891, 

 p. 303.; 1899, p. 21. Very showy when grown in 

 clumps. 



8. punctata, Linn. (L. verticilldta, Bieb.). Tall and 

 stout: Ivs. verticillate, in 4's, lanceolate, ovate or cor- 

 date-ovate, acute, subsessile: corolla-lobes oval, dentic- 

 ulate, glandular-ciliate, acute; stamens united. Very 

 similar to L. vulgaris, but differs in the larger calyx- 

 lobes not dark-margined: fls. in axillary, equidistant 

 whorls, not paniculate, and corolla glandular. Eu., W. 

 Asia. B.M. 2295 (as L. verticillaris) . G.M. 57:111. 



9. Ephemerum, Linn. Smooth: Ivs. opposite, glau- 

 cous, elongate-lanceolate, obtuse, connate and some- 

 what decurrent: raceme long, terminal: bracts equaling 

 the short (2-4 lines long) pedicels; fls. white, often 

 tinged with purple; calyx-lobes ovate, obtuse; corolla- 

 lobes ovate, obtuse, twice as long as the calyx; stamens 

 slightly exserted. S. Eu. B.M. 2346. R.H. 1891, p. 303. 



10. barystachys, Bunge (L. brachystachys, Hort.). 

 St. strict, simple, hispid and leafy above : Ivs. few, alter- 

 nate, linear-oblong, abruptly acute, attenuate at base, 

 appressed puberulent, glaucous beneath : raceme at first 

 nodding, dense, terminal, spike-like: bracts exceeding 

 the short pedicels: fls. white; calyx shorter than the 

 corolla; the lobes ovate, obtuse, ciliolate, membranous- 

 margined; corolla-lobes oblong-linear, obtuse, longer 

 than the stamens. China. R.H. 1881:90. 



11. Fortunei, Maxim. Glabrous: Ivs. alternate, ob- 

 long-lanceolate, acuminate or mucronate; base acu- 

 minate, cartilaginous-margined: raceme dense: bracts 

 equaling the short (1-2 lines long) pedicels: fls. white; 

 calyx broadly campanulate; the lobes obtuse, mem- 



