8o THE BOOK OF THE WILD GARDEN 



ground near the water. It has bright green leaves, and 

 must not be confounded with the tenderer L. fulgens 

 from Mexico, whose leaves are of a smoother texture 

 and, in many of its varieties, purplish-brown in colour. 

 This species is also a later flowerer than L. cardinalis. 



Lysimachia. — Loosestrife. The taller-growing species, 

 mostly yellow-flowered, flourish in the damp soil of the 

 banks of ponds and streams. 



Lythrum. — This plant goes by the popular name of 

 Purple Loosestrife. L. Salicaria is the common English 

 species bearing reddish-purple flower-spikes five feet in 

 height. L. superbum is a finer form of the last named, 

 with flowers of a far deeper and clearer colour, which 

 should always be grown in preference to the type. It 

 thrives in moist ground close to water. 



Mertensia. — M. virginica, the Virginian Cowslip, is a 

 beautiful plant bearing clusters of pale blue, drooping 

 flowers on arching stems, and growing to a height of 

 from eighteen inches to two feet. The foliage has a 

 pretty glaucous tint. It flowers in the spring and does 

 well in a moist, partially-shaded spot in porous soil. M. 

 sibirica is a rather more vigorous species, and bears 

 flowers of a deeper hue. 



Mimulus. — Monkey Flower. The common M. 

 luteus is a well-known waterside plant that, though a 

 native of Chili, has, as a garden fugitive, become 

 naturalised in many parts of England, Scotland and 

 Ireland. M. cardinalis is a handsome flower, deep red in 

 colour, but this species is rarely met with. There are, 

 however, numerous attractive hybrids that will create 

 a bright effect by the water's edge. They should be 

 planted where they will not be overgrown by coarse 

 herbage, and preferably where they may hang over the 

 water from a spot a foot or so above its level. 



Petasites vulgaris. — Butter Bur. A handsome British 

 foliage plant, having finely-formed leaves sometimes 



