156 THE LYTHRUM FAMILY. 
entire, from 2 to 3 inches long. Flowers reddish-purple or pink, in 
rather dense whorls, forming handsome terminal spikes, more or less 
leafy at the base; the upper floral leaves reduced to bracts scarcel 
longer or even shorter than the flowers. Calyx about 3 lines long, wit 
as many ribs as teeth, of these the outer ones are subulate, the inner 
ones short and broad. Petals oblong, often near half an inch long. 
In wet ditches and marshy places, throughout Europe and Russian 
and central Asia, in Australia, and North America, Abundant in 
England, Ireland, and southern and western Scotland, very local in the 
east and north. Fl. summer. [The flowers of the Purple Loosestrife are 
trimorphic, differing in the comparative length of the stamens and ~ 
styles. Thus individual plants have—l. Long styles and medium 
stamens; 2. Long styles and short stamens; 8. Medium styles and long © 
stamens; 4. Medium styles and short stamens; 5. Short styles and 
long stamens ; 6. Short styles and medium stamens. These differences 
are accompanied with others in the colour of the flowers, and colour 
and size of the pollen grains. ] 
2. L. hyssopifolium, Linn. (fig. 356). Hyssop Z.—A glabrous 
annual, seldom more than 6 or 8 inches high, the stems slightly 
branched, and decumbent at the base, or, in starved specimens, erect 
and simple. Leaves sessile, narrow, and entire, barely half an inch 
long; the lower ones opposite, the upper ones alternate. Flowers 
small and solitary in the axils of the upper leaves; the calyx scarcely 
more than a line long, with minute teeth; the petals purple, about 
half that length. 
In moist. or muddy places, especially those which are occasionally 
inundated. Widely spread over central and southern Europe, all across 
central Asia, in North and South America, South Africa and Australia, 
but not so common in Europe as the LZ. Salicaria. In Britain it occurs in 
a few of the southern and eastern counties of England. 1. summer. 
II. PEPLIS. PEPLIS. 
Small glabrous annuals, with opposite entire leaves, and minute axillar y 
flowers. Calyx shortly campanulate, with 6 external and 6 internal 
smaller teeth. Petals very minute or none. Stamens 6. Style very 
short, scarcely distinct. Capsule globular. | 
A genus of very few species, widely spread over Europe, Asia, and 
Africa. 
1. P. Portula, Linn. (fig. 357). Water Purslane.—A slightly branched 
annual, creeping and rooting at the base, seldom above 2 or 3 inches high, 
but sometimes many plants grow together in broad tufts or patches. 
Leaves obovate or oblong, seldom half an inch long, tapering into a stalk 
at the base. Flowers sessile in the axils of nearly all the leaves. Capsules 
enclosed in somewhat le calyx, but seldom attaining a line in 
diameter. 
In wet ditches, and moist, watery places, in central and southern 
Europe to the Caucasus, extending northward to Scandinavia, but not 
recorded from Siberia or central Asia. Frequent in England and Ireland, 
less so in Scotland, Fl. all summer. 3 
