THE DIAPENSIA FAMILY. 407 



over the ground until its progress is impeded perhaps by the trailing 

 arbutus. Two sweet companions that in early spring unfold at the same 

 time their flowers. 



Pyxie is indeed a distinguished little plant, the one relative through our 

 range of galax and shortia. Hardly can another family be found with few 

 members so individual and so charming. 



THE PRIMROSE FAMILY. 



Primiildcece, 



A group of herbs with perfect^ 7-egiihir flowers Jiaviug gaviopetaloiis 

 corollas^ their parts in four or five and which bear simf>le, opposite, 

 alternate, whorled or basal leaves. Stame?is: inserted on the corolla-tube. 



LOOSESTRIFE. {Plate CX XX III.) 

 Lysimachia Fraseri. 



Flowers : growing in the axils or abundandy in terminal panicles. Cu/yx : ]ier- 

 sistent ; free from ovary, with five sharply pointed and ciliate lobes. Corolla : with 

 five ovate, lanceolate lobes. Capsule : g\ohose ; membranaceous and projecting 

 the slender style. Seeds; several. Leaves : opposite; narrowly oblong, pointed at 

 the apex and tapering into a short petiole at the base; entire; lighter below than 

 above and covered with many dark-coloured dots. Stem : erect ; leafy; glandular- 

 pubescent near the summit. 



Again and again we come across the loosestrifes during our summer and 

 early autumn rambles. And soon we learn to associate with them their 

 opposite, or whorled, leaves, always entire and their upright, rather stiff 

 manner of growth, and very frequently we look for their petals to be darkly 

 spotted near the bases. In personality the genus reminds us somewhat of 

 the St. John's-wort, but we think of the latter as being usually freer, more 

 prolific bloomers. The old and pretty legend concerning our present plants 

 is that they loose strife ; that they act as peace-makers especially among 

 cattle that are quarrelsome. Believing this, people in the old country used 

 to tie such a spray to their yokes before starting out on a long journey. 



This one of the group is not common and is very pretty. Especially attrac- 

 tive are its capsules with the free calyx hovering about them. 



L. quadrifblia, four-leaved, or whorled loosestrife is one of the most 

 common species and grows through light, dry soil in a very precise and 

 regular way. About its stem the lanceolate, sessile or nearly sessile leaves 



