ICOSANDRIA. MONOGYNIA. 303 



flowers are solitary and terminal, resembling those of 

 some species of Cretcegus but yellow? 



Species. 1. T. tridentata. 'Collected in the recesses 

 of the Northern Andes or Rocky Mountains, by the iate 

 Governor Lewis. 



333. LYTHRUM. L, (Loosestrife.) 



Calix 6 to 12-tootIied, tubular. Petals 6, 

 equal, inserted upon the calix. Capsule supe- 

 rior, 2 to 4-ceIled, many-seeded. \stamina^, 

 6, 8, 10, and in some species 12.) 



Herbaceous; leaves alternate, opposite and vertlcillate; 

 flowers verticillately spiked and terminal, or verticiliate 

 and axillary subsolitary, purple. 



Species. I.Ij. Salicaria. 2- ■verticiUatum. Obs. Sub- 

 aquatic, pulverulent!) pubescent; stem hexangular re- 

 curved, and often taking root at the extremities, some- 

 times suffruticose, leaves lanceolate, opposite and ter- 

 nately verticiliate, attenuated at both ends. Calix 6, 

 8, 10 or 12-tootlied. Flowers axillary, verticiliate, biter- 

 nately aggregated. Petals 5 or 6. Stamina 8, 10, and 12, 

 much exserted, petals undulated. Capsule roundish, al- 

 ways 3 or 4-celied, dissepiments marginal; seeds angu- 

 lar. 3. virgatum. 4. alatnm? Ph. Smooth and virgate- 

 ly branched; leaves opposite, cordate-ovate, acute, sub- 

 petiolate, with a somewhat scabrous margin; angles of the 

 stem marginated; flowers axillary, solitary, much longer 

 than the leaves, minutely petiolate, hexandrous. Obs. A 

 ▼ery elegant and ornamental species; branches brown, at 

 first erect, at length recurved, and then sending out nu- 

 merous axillary branchlets; flowers often double the length 

 of the leaves, deep and bright purple; leaves not much, 

 larger than those of Thyme, which they somewhat resem- 

 ble, and L. Serpyllifolia would certainly have been a much 

 better name than the obscure one of alaium, a character 

 which in this species is scarcely if at all, more remarkable 

 than in L. Hyssopifolia. — Stigma conspicuously capitate; 

 capsule subcylindric, 2-celled, flowers minutely bibrac- 

 teate atier the manner of the genus. 5. Uneare. Smooth 

 and virgate; leaves mostly opposite, narrow, linear and 

 acute; flowers axillary, solitary, nearly equal with the 

 leaves, hexandrous. Obs. The leaves appear sonciewhat 

 succulent and opaque, length 6 or 7 lines, breadth about 

 1 line; flowers small and nearly white, bibracteate. 



6. \HyssopifGlia. Leaves alternate and opposite longer 

 th^n the flowers, linear lanceolate, subelliptic; flowers so- 

 litary axillary, hexandrous. Obs. Stem nearly simple or 

 sparingly branched from the base, quadrangular and some- 



