Lythrum Salicaria. Purple-spiked Lcose-strife. 



LYTHRUM Lin. Gen. Pi. Dodecandria Monogynia. 



Cal. 12 fidus. Petala 6. calyci inferta. Caps. 2. locularis, polyfperma. 



Raii Sjn. Gen. 25. Herb;e hexapetalj; et polypetal^e vasculiferje. 



LYTHRUM Salicaria foliis oppofitis cordato lanceolatis floribus fpicatis dodecandris. Lin. Syjl. Vegetal* 

 p. 371. Spec. -plant. 640. VI. Suec. n. 422. 



SALICARIA foliis lanceolatis, fubhirfutis, floribus fpicatis. Haller. hift. 854. 



LYTHRUM Salicaria. Scopoli Fl. Cam. n. $65. Lyfimachia fpicata purpurea. Bauh. pin. 246. " 



SALICARIA vulgaris purpurea foliis oblongis. fourth lnji. Rati Syn. p. 367. Purple fpiked Willow- 

 herb, or Loofe-ftrife. 



LYSIMACHIA purpurea Ger. emac. 476. Parkin/on. 546. Hudfon. FL Angl ed. 2. p. 206. Lightfoot, 

 Fl. Scot. p. 206. 



RADIX perennis, craffa, ramofa, fublignofa, in latum | ROOT perennial, thick, branched, fomewhat woody,' 

 extenfa. 



CAULIS bipedalis ad tripedalem, eredus, inferne gla- 

 ber, tetragonus, fuperne pubefcens, pentago- 

 nus : angulis acutis, membranaceis, fcabris, 

 ramofis. 



RAMI fuperiores fparfi ; inferiores oppofiti,_ tetragoni, 

 fcabri, minutim pubefcentes, erecti, breviuf- 

 culi, frequentes. 



FOLIA femlia, amplexicaulia, lanceolata, acuta, tri- 

 pollicaria, lupra glabra, fubtus minutim pu- 

 befcentia, fcabriufoula, venofa, margine fca- 

 bra, patentia ; inferiora oppofita, fuperiora 

 fparfa, ramea oppofita. 



SPICiE terminates, cylindrical, e glomeribus florum 

 compofitae, conglomeribus remotiufculis, cir- 

 citer octofloris, braclea fulcitis. 



BRxACTE,^ glomerum folitariae, ovatae, longius acutae, 

 fubtus villofae, calycibus longiores, fubpur- 

 pureae ; florum lineari-fubulatas, parviufculae. 



CALYX: Perianthium tubulatum, turbinato-cylin- 

 dricum, ftriatum, hirfutum ; ore truncato, 

 12 Ado : laciniis purpurafcentibus ; quarum 

 fex alternae fubulatae, hirfutae, ere&ae ; fex 

 alias alternae parvae, ovato acutiufcuhe, in- 

 flexae, concavae, apice minutim barbata:. jig. 1. 



COROLLA purpurea: Petala 6, cuneiformi-oblonga, 

 obtufo rotundata, ere&a, calyce longiora, 

 margine calycis intra lacinias calycis longiores 

 inferta, patentia. Petala ante eruptionem 

 calycis tubo intrufa flint et recondita; hinc 

 poftmodum erumpunt et quafi e calyce extra- 

 .huntur. jig. 2. 



STAMINA: Filamenta 12, fubulata, albida, calycis 

 parieti intra tubum inferta, quorum fex lon- 

 giora tubo calycis paulo longiora ; 6 breviora 

 intra tubum recondita ; Antherce inferiores 

 ovatae, luteas, incumbentes, fuperiores pur- 

 pureas, jig. 3, 



PISTILLUM: Germen fuperum, ovatum, acutum, 

 utrinque fulcatum, glabrum, viridefcens ; 

 Stylus cylindricus, aibus, corolla vixlongior; 

 Stigma capttatum. jig. 4. 



PERICx^RPIUM : Capsula oblonga, tedta, bilocularis. 



fig- 5-. 6 * . . 

 SEMINA plunma, minima, fig. 7. 



widely extended. 

 I STALK from two to three feet high, upright, below 

 I fmooth, four-cornered ; angles fharp, mem- 



% branous and rough ; branched. 



BRANCHES: the upper ones placed without any 

 order ; the lower ones oppofite, four-cornered, 

 rough, and High tly downy, upright, fhort- 

 lfh, and numerous. 



LEAVES feffile, embracing the folk, lanceolate, 

 pointed ; about three inches long, above 

 fmooth, underneath nightly downy, rough- 

 ifh, and veiny, fpreading ; the lower ones 

 oppofite, the upper ones placed without any 



on ™o re S ular order ' thofe of the branches oppofite. 



SPIKES terminal, cylindrical, compofed of clutters of 

 flowers, which are placed at a little difonce 

 from each other, and confift of about eight 

 flowers fupported by a floral leaf. 



FLORAL-LEAVES of the clujlers folitary, oval with 

 a long point, underneath villous, longer than 

 the flower-cups, and purplifli, thofe of the 

 flowers fmall, nearly linear, and running out 

 to a point. 



CALYX: a Perianthium tubular, cylindrical but 

 wideft at top, ftriated, hirfute, the mouth as 

 if cut off, divided into twelve purplifh feg- 

 ments, fix of which run out to a long point, 

 are hirfute and upright, the other fix which 

 are alternate with the preceding fix are fmall, 

 ovate, pointed, bend inward over the flump, 

 are hollow and minutely bearded at top. fig. 1. 



COROLLA purple. Petals 6, of an oblong wedge 

 fhape, blunt at the extremity, upright and 

 longer than the calyx, inferred into the edge 

 of the calyx betwixt its longeft fegments, and 

 fpreading, the Petals, before they break out, 

 are as it were thruft into and hid in the tube 

 of the calyx, from whence they afterwards 

 burft forth, and are as it were drawn out of 

 the calyx, fig. 2. 



STAMINA: 12 Filaments, tapering and whitifh, in- 

 ferred into the infide of the calyx, of which 

 the fix longeft. are fomewhat longer than the 

 tube of the calyx, and the fix morteft hid 

 within the tube; Anthers ovate and in- 

 cumbent, the lowermoft yellow, the upper- 

 moft purple, jig. 3, 



PISTILLUM :_ Germen above the calyx, ovate, point- 

 ed, with a groove on each fide, fmooth, green- 

 ifh; Style cylindrical, white, fcarce longer 

 than the Corolla; Stigma forming a ^little 

 head. 



SEED-VESSEL : an oblong Capfule, covered by the 

 calyx, of two cavities, jig. 5. 6. 



SEEDS numerous and very fmall. fig. 7. 



The beautiful long fpikes of purple flowers which this plant plentifully produces during the latter part of the 

 Summer, render it a confpicuous ornament on the banks of rivers, ponds, ditches, &c. where it grows almofl 

 univerfally in this country ; brought into the garden it flourifhes without any trouble, and is a very proper plant 

 to grace the fhrubbery. 



Its qualities appear to be of the aftringent kind, hence it has been recommended by De Haen in long pro- 

 tracted Diarrhaeas and Dyfenteries. Fid. rat. med. part. 4. p. 195. 



It generally remains untouched by cattle, I have this year obferved its leaves very much eaten by the Cater- 

 pillar of a Trcnthedo. 



The ftru&ure of the bloflom is Angularly curious, and will amply repay the botanift the trouble of directing it. 



1 have noticed a variety with three leaves at a joint, in which the ftalk was hexagonal. 



