ONAGEACEiE. 207 



Stigma clith-shaped, entire (or very shortly i-lohed in the pale E.) 



Stem marked with two or four raised lines, decurrent tirom the lower 

 or all the leaves. 



Leaves lanceolate, sessile. Buds erect 6. Square E. 



Leaves shortly stalked. Buds erect or shghtly nodding .... 5. fale JS. 

 Stem eyliudrical. Decujrent lines none or faint. Buds nodding. 

 Alpine plant, not 6 inches high. Leaves ovate. 



Leaves small, mostly entire. Plant httle branched 9. Alpine E. 



Leaves, broad, toothed, an inch or more long. Plant much 



branched 8. ChickweedE. 



Lowland plant, often a foot high or more. Leaves narrow, nearly 



entire 7. Harsh E. 



1. Vl^illow Epilobe. Epilobium angustifolium, Linn, 

 (Eng. Bot. t. 1947. French Willow. Rose-hay.) 



A handsome plant, simple or scarcely branched, 2 or 4 feet liigh, glabrous 

 or shghtly hoary, but never hairy. Kootstock creeping. Leaves shortly 

 stalked, lanceolate, entire or with very minute distinct teeth. Flowers 

 large, piu-plish-red, in long terminal racemes ; the petals slightly unequal, 

 entire, and spreading from the base ; the stamens and styles inchned down- 

 wards. Stigma deeply 4-lobed. Pod 1 to 2 inches long, more or less hoarv. 



On moist banks, and in moist open woods, chiefly in light soils, in Arctic 

 and northern Europe, Asia, and North America, extending into the moun- 

 tainous districts of central Europe and Asia. Widely spread over Britain, 

 but not common, and m many places introduced. Fl. summer. 



2. Grreat Epilobe. Epilobium hirsutum, Linn. 

 (Eng. Bot. t. 838. Great JVillow-herb. Codliiis-and-cream.) 



Stems stout and branched, 3 or 4 or even 5 feet high, the whole plant 

 softly hairy. Leaves lanceolate, clasping the stem at the base, and bordered 

 with small teeth. Flowers large and handsome ; the petals erect at tlie 

 base, spreading upwards, and deeply notched. Pod very long, quadrangular, 

 and hairy. 



On the sides of ditches and rivers, and in wet places, throughout Europe 

 and central and Russian Asia, except the extreme north. Abundant in 

 England, but soon disappearing in Scotland. Fl. summer, 



3. Hoary Epilobe. Epilobium parviflorum, Schreb. 

 (Eng. Bot. t. 795.) 



Some specimens of this plant look like the great H. on a small scale, 

 others approach the broad E. It is distinguished from the former by its 

 smaller stature and much smaller flowers. The lower leaves, also, and 

 sometimes the upper ones, are shortly stalked ; the middle ones usually 

 sessile, but scarcely clasping the stem. From the broad ]S. there is little 

 to separate it but the soft hairs with which it is clothed, the narrower 

 leaves with shorter stalks, and the rather larger flowers. But none of these 

 characters appear to be quite constant, and it may possibly prove to be a 

 mere variety of the broad E. 



In Europe and western Asia, but not so common as the broad E., and 

 generally found in wetter situations. It has nearly the same range over 

 Britain, excepting the north of Scotland. Fl. summer. 



4. Broad Epilobe. Epilobium montanum, Linn. 



(Eng. Bot. t. 1177.) 

 Stems erect, simple or slightly branched, from 6 inches to a foot or more 



