PURPLE LOOSE-STRIFE. 43 



upper surfaces are of a clear fresh green, the lower some- 

 what greyer, from the slight downy hairs over them. 



The spikes of flowers are terminal and cylindrical. In 

 our illustration we have been obliged to choose one in an 

 early stage of development, so as to show the whole of it, 

 and the result is, the flowers and buds are rather densely 

 packed. As the spike develops it elongates, and it is then 

 seen to consist of rings or clusters of flowers, separated 

 by a slight interval of stalk, each cluster consisting of 

 some six or eight blossoms. The corolla is composed of six 

 petals, and the tubular calyx, into which they are inserted, 

 is divided into twelve segments, six long and six short. 

 A dissection of the flower shows us the twelve stamens; 

 at the bottom of the tube are six short ones, and rising 

 between these are six others about as long again. The 

 anthers of the small ones are yellow, and of the others 

 purple. 



In speaking of the plant it is always necessary to par- 

 ticularise the colour, or confusion will arise between this and 

 the yellow loose-strife, a plant quite different botanically, 

 and one which we figure later on. Both are equally 

 common, both are found in the same localities, and both are 

 called loose-strife, and there the resemblance ends. The 

 reason why it is called loose-strife we can better give in 

 describing the other species, as it was with that one that 

 the name originated, and then got transferred without any 

 special reason to the present plant. A certain conspicuous 

 yellow plant, for a more or less satisfactory reason, received 

 the name of yellow loose-strife; so it seemed reasonable 

 to our forefathers that another conspicuous plant often 

 found with it should be called the purple loose- 

 strife. Our present plant is in Ireland the Irebull caitin, 



