348 Obder 61.— LTTHRACBjB. 



6 R. cilidsa Mx. St. tall (1 to 2f high), squarish, glabrous ; Ivs. broad-Q;yatB, 

 glabrous beneath, sparsely hispid above, the margin serrate-eiliate, with long, 

 spreading bristles; fis. nearly sessile between the upper pair of Ivs; cal. glabrous, 

 ihe lobes acute. — Damp pine woods, N. Car. to Fla. Lvs. nearly 1' long, f as wide^ 

 acute, on short petioles (scarcely 1"). Fls. terminal, 1 to 3 together, large, the 

 petals roundish, 9" long, purple. Jn. — Aug. 



7 R. aerrulata Nutt. St. low (6 to 8') square, glabrous; lvs. small, ' roundish- 

 oval, glabrous both sides, the margin serrulate, ciliate ; fls. subsessile, 1 to 3 be- 

 tween the upper pair of lvs. ; cal. glandular-hispid, the lobes sTuyrt, obtuse. — Open 

 swamps, Ga., Fla. Much lilte the fast, but smaller in all its parts. Lvs. 3 to 6" 

 long. Pis. large, purple. Jn., Jl. 



8 R. ICitea Walt. Sparsely hispid ; st. square, braohiately branched ; lvs. lance- 

 linear and oblong-linear ; cal. mucli constricted above the ovary, the upper por- 

 tion campanulate, with cuspidate teeth. — Damp pine woods, N. Car. to Pla. St. 

 about 18' high. The soft, scattered bristles on all its parts are quite oharacteristiOi 

 as well as its showy, yellow, paniculate fls. Jn. — ^Aug. 



Oedeb LI. LYTHRACE^. Loosestrifes. 



Herbs, rarely shrubs, with mostly opposite, entire, exstipulate leaves. Calyx tubu- 

 lar, the limb 4 to T-lobed, sometimes with as many intermediate teeth. Petais in- 

 serted into the calyx between the lobes, very deciduous or 0. Stamens equal in 

 number to the petals, or 2 to 4 times as many, inserted into the calyx. Ovary free, 

 inclosed in the calyx tube, 2 to 4-celled. Styles united into one. Pruit, capsule 

 membranous, enveloped in the calyx, usually by abortion 1-oelled. Seeds small, OO, 

 attached to a central placenta. Albumen 0. 



Ginera 85, species 300. Some of the species ftre found in temperate climes, but most of them 

 are tropical. Lythrum salicavia, native of Europe, N. Holland, and TJ. 8., is used for tanning 

 ivhere it abounds. All the species arc astringent. 



GENEEA. . • 



§ Shrubs -with numerous stamens and clawed petals LAGEi{fiTB(BinA. 1 



§ Herbs — ^Fls. irregular. Calyx inflated, gibbous at base Cuphba. 2 



— ^Fls. regular. — Calyx cylindrical, striate, with 5 minute horns Lttheuh. 3 



— Calyx campanulate, — 5 teeth with 5 long horns. . .Na8.ea. 4 



— 4 teeth with 4 short horns .. Ammannia. 5 



— 4 teeth. , Horns 0, petals . . Htpobricuia. 6 



1. LAGERSTR(E^fflIA, L. Crape Myetlb. (In honor of Magnus 

 Lagerstroem, a Swedisli traveler.) Calyx broadly campanulate, 6-cleft, 

 with 2 bracts below; petals 6, on 'claws inserted into the calyx tube; 

 stamens oo ; capsule 3 to 6-celled ; seeds many, winged. — East Indian 

 shrubs. 



L. In'dioa L. Petals crispet, on slender claws; lvs. alternate, roundish ovate, 

 coriaceous, subpetiolate, glabrous ; branches winged ; fls. in terminal panicles. — 

 A common and beautiful exotic, with large, delicately crisped, bluish purple fls. § 



2. CU^PHEA, Jacq. (Gr. Kvcpog, curved or gibbous ; in reference to 

 the capsule.) Calyx tubular, ventricous, with 6 erect teeth, and often 

 as many intermediate processes; petals 6 or 7, iinequal ; stamens 11 to 

 14, rarely 6 or V, unequal; style filiform; capsule membranous, 1 to 2- 

 celled, few-seeded. — Herbaceous or suffruticous. Lvs. opposite, entire. 

 Fls. axillary and teriTiinal. 



C. visoosfsslma Jacq. Herbaceous, viscid-pubescent; lvs. ovate-lanceolate, pe- 

 tiolate, scabrous ; fls. on short peduncles ; cal. gibbous at base on the upper side, 

 12-velned, 6-toothed, very viscid.—® Wet grounds, Pittsfield, Mass. (Hitchcock), 

 Caihbridge, N. Y. (Stevenson) to Ga. and Ark. St. 9 to 18' high, with alternate 

 branches. Lvs. somewhat repaud, 1 to 2' long. Pis. solitary, one in each axil 



