L Y S 



Lyfias's orations is that by Taylor, London, in 1739, and 

 Cambridge 1 740. 



Lysia, in Ancient Geography, a town of Afia, in Syria, 

 feated on the river Marfyas, W. of the river Orontes, and 

 N.W. of the town of Apamea. — Alfo, a town of Afia 

 Minor, in Caria, placed by Ptolemy in Phrygia Major.— 

 Alfo, a tow-n of the Peloponnefus, in Arcadia, called alfo 

 Liiftas. 



LYSIMACHIA, in Botany, a very ancient generic 

 name, and fo called, according to Pliny and Ambrofinus, 

 from Lyfimachus. a favourite general of Alexander the 

 Great, who was afterwards king of Thrace. The Englidi 

 name of this plant, Loofejlnfe, is evidently taken from Xva,- 

 ^■j,yji,:, a dijfolui'ion of Jlrife^ or a peacemaler, but how this 

 title could apply to the king on whom it was bellowed, 

 and who appears to have beeu of a cruel and ferocious tem- 

 per, we are at a lofs to imagine, unlefs it were like the ludi- 

 crous derivation of Incus, a non lucendo. Linn, Gen. 8:?. 

 Schreb 109. Willd. Sp. PI. V. i. 816. Mart. Mill. Didt. 

 V. 3. Sm. Fl. Brit. 227. Ail. Hort. Kew. ed. 2. v. i. 314. 

 Brown. Prod. Nov. HoU. v. i. 428. Tournef. t. 59. 

 Juff. 95. Lamarck lUuftr. t. loi. Gaertn. t. jo. — Clafs 

 and order, PentanJria Monogynia. Nat. Ord. Rotacee, Linn. 

 Lyfimach'ia:, Jufl". 



Gen. Ch. Cal Perianth inferior, five-cleft, acute, crcif)', 

 permanent. Cor. of one petal, wheel-fliaped ; tube none ; 

 lin-.b in five, ovate-oblong, deeply cloven fegments. Stam. 

 ' Filaments five, awl-fhaped, oppofite ta the fegments of the 

 corolla, mollly united at the bafe ; anthers acuminated. 

 P'ljl Gt^rmen fuperior, rotmdilh ; ftyle thread-diaped, the 

 length of the ftameiis ; iHgma obtufe. Per'ic. Capfule glo- 

 bofe, mucronatcd, of one cell and ten valves. ^Jfc;^ nume- 

 rous, angular. Recept. globofe, very large, dotted. 



E(r. Ch Coroila wheel-fhaped. Capfule globofe, pointed, 

 with ten valves. 



Obf. L. Linum-JlAlatum has fruit with only five valves. 

 Nearly the whole of this genus is pretty well known in 

 our gardens, wliilll fome of its fpecies are found to grow 

 fponta".ooufly in our hedges and fields. It is divided into 

 two feftions, the Jirjl of thefe having many fiower.s on a 

 ftalk, they?t-o/!(/compofed of fnch as are fingle-flowcred. — 

 Of the firit feftion are the following. 



L 'vulgaris- Yellow Loofeftrife. Linn. Sp. PI. 209. 

 Engl. Bot. t. 761. Curt. Lond. fafc. 5. t. 19. — Panicled. 

 Clutters terminal. Leaves ovate-lanceolate, acute. — A na- 

 tive of fhady, watery places on the banks of rivers, flower- 

 ing in July. — -Root perennial, creeping. Stems ereft, three 

 feet high, leafy, many-flowered. Leaves oppofite, often 

 three or four together, fpreading, veiny, fmooth, fometimes 

 downy. Clufters ered, each partial flower-ftalk with an 

 awl-fliaped braftea at its bafe. Flowers yellow and hand- 

 fome. 



L. thfrfijlora. Tufted Loofeftrife. Linn. Sp. PI. 2og. 

 Engl. Bot. t. 176.— Flowers in lateral, pedunculated -cluf- 

 ters. — This extremely rare plant, wlien it does occur, may 

 be found in damp, watery fituations, in particular parts of 

 Yorkfliire and Scotland. It flowers in July.- Root p'eren- 

 nial, creeping, i'/cmj ereft, a foot and half high, perfeftly 

 fimple, round, leafy, fmooth, now and then woolly. Leaves 

 oppofite, feffile, acute, entire, fmooth. Floivers in axil- 

 lary, denfe clufters, fniall, of a lefs brilliant colour than the 

 laft. Many parts of the herbage and inflorefcence are pret- 

 tily fpotted with red. 



Of the remaining fpecies be'onging to this feflion, as 

 -they are detailed in Willdenow, none are natives of Britain. 

 They are called L. decurrcns, Ephemerum, atropurpurea, dubla, 

 and JlriQa. 



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The fecond fe£lion comprifes, amongft others, the fol- 

 lowing : 



L. nemorum. Yellow Pimpernel, or Wood Loofe- 

 ftrife. Ltnn. Sp. PI. 21 1. Engl. Bot. t. 527. Curt. Lond. 

 fafc. 5. t. 18. — Leaves ovate, acute. Flowers folitary. 

 Stem procumbent. Stamens fmooth. — Found not unfre- 

 quently in groves and moift fhady places, flowering from 

 May to September. — Roots perennial. Stems procumbent, 

 creeping, branched, fquare, reddifh, fhining, leafy. Leaves 

 oppofite, on footftalks, ovate, entire, fmooth. Stalks axil- 

 lary, folitary, fingle-flowered, flender. Floivers delicate, 

 yellow.— This and tiie following fpecies may be regarded as 

 two of our moft ornamental common plants, more efpcciaUy 

 as their myrtle-like herbage, when intermixed or entangled 

 with ferns or mols, gives a pleafing variety to the verdure 

 of rocks, and the banks of rivulets, or fliady ponds. 



L. Nummularia. Moneywort, or Herb Twopence. 

 Creeping Loofeftrife. Linn. Sp. PI. 211. Engl. Bot. 

 t. 528. Curt. Lond. fafc. 3. t. 14.— Leaves fomewhat heart- 

 fliapcd. Flowers folitary. Stem creeping. Stamens glan- 

 dular. -A native of tiie banks of ditches and very moift 

 meadows. It flowers copioufly during the fummer. Root 

 perennial. Stems proftrate, fquare, comprefled, generally 

 finiple. Leaves oppofite, on footftalks, heart-fhapcd or 

 roundifli, waved, palilTi green. Corolla pale lemon-coloured, 

 and, when magnified, clothed with fmall glands ftanding on 

 footftalks, as are alfo the ftamens. — The qualities both of this 

 and the preceding are to the beft of our knowledge perfeftly 

 unimportant either for medicinal or agricultural purpofes. 



The remaining fpecies of Lyfimachia are noiie of them 

 natives. We therefore feleft two or three of the more in- 

 terefting exotic ones. 



1... punSata. Four-leaved Loofeftrife. Linn. Sp. PI. 210. 

 Jacq. Auftr. t. 366. — Leaves generally four together, al- 

 nioft feilile. Stalks verticiliate, fingle-flowered. — Found 

 amongft reeds in Holland, Auftria, and other parts of 

 Europe, flowering in July and Auguft. Root perennial, 

 fomewhat creeping and fibrous. Stems two or three feet 

 high, upright, downy, leafy, generally i:mplc. Leaves 

 ovate-lanceolate, entire, freqttently fpotted with black on 

 the lower fide. Flo-wcrs rather fmall, yellow. The feg- 

 ments of the corolla pointed, with tawny dots at their 

 bafe. 



L. quadriflora. Four-flowered Loofeftrife. Ait. Hort. 

 Kew. n. 7. Sims in Curt. Mag. t. 660. — Leaves oppofite, 

 feflile, linear, very long. Stalks four together, terminal, 

 fingle-flowered — .Sent from North America to Kew gar- 

 den by Mr. Francis MafTon in 1798. It flowers like the laft 

 in July and Auguft. — Root perennial. Stems quadrangular, 

 much branched. " Leaves oppofite, linear, quite' entire, 

 fmooth, feffile, longer than the branches. Branches axil- 

 lary to the leaves, fimilar, terminated with four leaves 

 crofted, ferving the office of brafteas ; from the a.-iils of 

 each of thefe there rifes a flower-ftalk, bearing a folitary 

 flower, nodding." The fegments of the corolla are crenate 

 and very ftiarply pointed, of a beautiful bright yellow 

 colour ; whilft the whole herbage is of a dark, blackifh- 

 green. It is a hardy perennial, requiring no particular treat- 

 ment, even bearing the fmoke of London without much 

 injury. 



L. ciViata. Ciliated or Fringed Loofeftrife. Linn. Sp. 

 PI. 210. (Lyfimachia canadenfis lutea, folio Jalapx; Walth. 

 Hort. t. 12.) — Leaf-ftalks fringed. Flowers drooping. — 

 A native of North America, whence it was introduced by 

 Mr. Philip Miller into tins country in 1732. It flowers in 

 July and Auguft. — i?o»/ p -rennial, creeping. Stems about 

 two feet high, ereft. Leaves oblong, fmooth, acuminate, 



veined 



