Epilobiwm.] onagrace^. 171 



Since the above was written, I am convinced that two very distinct forms, if 

 not species, exist, under the name of K angustifolium, one of which, the E. 

 august. /3. brachycarpum of Bab. Man., is only found in this island as a garden 

 plant ; the second, which is the E. macrocarpum of Stephens, is abundant and 

 truly wild with us, and I fancy is the prevailing if not the only genuine wild stale 

 of the species throughout England, being that which I have uniformly met with 

 in the Sussex forest and elsewhere. It is distinguished from that so common in 

 cottage-gardens, and which I am inclined to believe is either an exotic species or 

 a permanent variety produced by long cultivation, by its narrower or more con- 

 tracted spike of flowers, which are much smaller, of a deeper purple, more inclining 

 to violet, with bluish anthers ; by its leaves, which are less spreading, smaller and 

 narrower, of a yellower, duller and darker green above and very glaucous beneath, 

 remarkably crisped, twisted and transversely plicate-rugose, with the lateral veins 

 more exactly at right angles to the midrib ; altogether a far less handsome plant. 

 The capsules are long, linear and erect, the flower-buds suddenly contracted to a 

 point. 



The second or garden form, and which is certainly that of Curtis, Fl. Lond. i. 

 fasc. 2, difl'ers in its much larger and broader leaves, spikes and flowers, the 

 former more spreading, brighter green, scarcely crisped and waved, flatter and 

 less rugose, the lateral veins at a rather more oblique angle to the midrib ; flowers 

 much larger, paler and brighter, pink rather than purple ; the anthers brick-red 

 and rather oblong than elliptical ; pods much shorter and broader. 



The indifferent figure in Fl. Danica, ii. fasc. 5, t. 289, is probably intended for 

 our common wild long-podded plant, as also that in E. B. xxviii. t. 1947, which 

 is good for its size, but unfortunately does not give the seed-vessels. 



Though met with in many parts of the S. of England,* this handsome plant 

 is more common in the northern counties, as a cold and even frigid climate is 

 most congenial to its nature. Wahlenberg tells us that in no part of Sweden 

 does it display such stateliness and profusion as in Lapland, ranging even to the 

 North Cape (lat. 71? 10) ; aud Linnaeus, in his usual florid but seductive style, 

 describes the humble hut of the sylvan Laplander, encircled in the flowering sea- 

 son with tall flowers of Epilobium, as emulating the palaces of the gods.f The 

 Swedes call it Himmelgrms or herb of heaven. It is very widely dispersed over 

 the northern parts of Europe, Asia and America. 



The present species, though a true Epilobium in its fructification, approaches 

 the American genus Gaura in habit and inflorescence. 



** Flowers regular. Stamens erect. 

 •(- Stigma 4-cleft. 



2. E. hirsutum, L. Great Hairy Willow-herb. Codlings and 

 Cream. Stem much branched, lower leaves semiamplexicaul a 

 little decurrent dentato-serrate, petals rounded notched much 

 longer than the calyx, stigma 4-cleft, root creeping. Sm. E. Fl. 

 ii. p. 813. Br. Fl. p. 135. Lindl. Syn. p. 108. E. B. xii. t. 

 838. Curt. Fl. Lond. fasc. 2, t. 21. 



On ditchbanks, the margins of ponds, rivers and streams, in wet thickets, hedges 



represent the capsules both short and somewhat turgid, but they depict the upper- 

 most ones only, and such therefore as have not attained their full dimensions. In 

 No. 51 of the Annals and Mag. of Nat. Hist, for December, 1851, are some fur- 

 ther observations on these two presumed species by Mr. Leighton. 



* In St. Leonard's forest, quite commonly ; also about Arundel, and between 

 Poole and Christchurch. I have seen it growing in large natural beds on the 

 domain of Col. Wyndham at Singleton, six miles from Chichester, where it was 

 pointed out to me by the Hon. Mrs. Vernon Harcourt. 



f ' Flora Lapponica,' p. 113. 



