ONAGRACEAE (EVENING PRIMROSE FAMILY) 293 
the axils on very short peduncles; they are 
nearly an inch broad, with four light yellow, 
rounded petals, between which show the 
four-pointed, spreading, leaf-like lobes of the 
calyx, about as long. When plucked, the 
petals almost always fall away ; stamens four, 
inserted with the petals; ovary four-celled. 
Capsules smooth, square, with winged angles 
and rounded base, about a quarter-inch 
high; the seeds become loose and rattle about 
in them when the plant is shaken. These 
seed-vessels readily float on water and are 
often blown far on crusted snow. (Fig. 204.) 
Means of control 
Drainage of the ground, followed by a 
cultivated crop, very thoroughly tilled. Or 
starvation of the perennial roots by close 
and frequent cutting throughout the growing 
season. 
Fie. 204. — Seed- 
WATER PURSLANE box (Ludvigia alterni- 
: folia). xt. 
Ludvigia palustris, Ell. 
(Isndrdia palistris, L.) 
Other English names: Ditch Purslane, Marsh Purslane, False 
Loosestrife. 
Introduced. Perennial. Propagates by seeds and by rooting at 
the joints. 
Time of bloom: June to October. 
Seed-time: July to November. 
Range: Nova Scotia to Manitoba and Oregon, southward to 
Florida, Louisiana, California, and Mexico. 
Habitat: Swamps, wet meadows; clogs ditches. 
A small, prostrate, often floating weed, whose habit of putting 
forth fibrous roots at its joints makes it frequently a pest to the 
muck farmer. 
Stems smooth, succulent, much branched at the base, often 
ruddy-colored, four to fifteen inches long. Leaves opposite, ovate 
or spatulate, a half-inch to an inch long, narrowing to a short, 
