542 



THE PRIMROSE FAMILY. 



Fig. 616. 



nearly ovate. Flowers in short, com- 

 pound racemes or panicles, in upper axils 

 and at the summit of the brandies, form- 

 ing a terminal, leafy panicle. Segments 

 of the calyx lanceolate and pointed, var} r - 

 ing much in breadth, and more or less ci- 

 liate on the edges. Corolla yellow, rather 

 campanulate than rotate, deeply divided 

 into 5 broad lobes. Stamens connected 

 at the base into a cup enclosing the ovary. 

 On shady banks, and along streams, 

 in Europe and Eussian Asia, from the 

 Mediterranean and the Caucasus to the 

 Arctic Circle, and reappearing in Aus- 

 tralia. Frequent in England and Ire- 

 land, but less so in Scotland. Fl. sum- 

 mer, rather late. The spotted L. (L. 

 punctata) is a marked variety of this 

 species, not uncommon in Germany and 

 south-eastern Europe, and occurring, mixed with the common form, 

 in north-western England and south-western Scotland. It has the 

 pedicels usually 1-nowered in the axils of the stem-leaves, the sepals 

 rather narrower, and the lobes of the corolla fringed with minute glan- 

 dular hairs ; but none of these characters are constant. 



2. Tufted Lysimachia. Lysimachia thyrsiflora, Linn. 



(Fig. 647.) 



(Eng. Bot. t. 170.) 



Stem erect, simple, 1 to 2 feet high, 

 sometimes slightly downy. Leaves ses- 

 sile, lanceolate, 2 to 3 inches long. 

 Flowers small and yellow, in dense axil- 

 lary racemes, more or less pedunculate, 

 but always shorter than the leaves. 

 Sepals and petals narrow, the stamens 

 and styles very prominent, and all the 

 parts of the flower as often in sixes as in 

 fives. 



On wet banks, and along streams, in 

 central and northern Europe, and north- 

 ern Asia and America, extending to the 

 Arctic Circle. Very local in Britain, 

 and chiefly in northern England and 

 Fig. 647. central Scotland. FL summer. 



