Eleagnaceae 20 
A. Joints of the stem decidedly flattened: spines 8—15 from the same place. W .E. 
(O. polycantha borealis; O. polycantha platycarpa.) 
0. polycantha Haw. (Spiny Opuntia) 
AA. Joints of the stem ovate or subglobose, nearly terete; spines |—4 from the same 
place. E. QO. fragilis Haw. (Fragile Opuntia) 
ELEAGNACEAE Oleaster Family 
Shrubs (ours) or trees, mostly silvery-scaly or stellate-pubescent. Leaves alternate 
or opposite (ours). Flowers perfect (not ours) or polygamous or dioicous, clustered, in 
axils or at nodes of previous season, rarely solitary. Perianth of the perfect or pistillate 
flowers tubular or urn-shaped below, persistent; upper part 4-lobed or -cleft (ours), decid- 
uous. Corolla none. Stamens 4—8, those of perfect flowers on throat of perianth; 
Ovary sessile, |-celled; ovule 1; style slender. Fruit drupe-like, the perianth becoming 
thickened and fleshy and enclosing the akene or nut. 
SHEPHERDIA (Lepargyrea) BUFFALO-BERRY 
Leaves petioled, simple, pinnately veined. Flowers small. Pistillate flowers | to 
few in a cluster: perianth-mouth nearly closed by an 8-lobed disk. Staminate flowers 
with 4-parted perianth: stamens 8. Fruit drupe-like, red (ours), with a nut or. akene 
inside. (Honor of J. Shepherd, curator of the Liverpool Botanic Gardens.) W.C. E. 
(S. argentea for our region.) S. canadensis Nutt. (Soap-olallee) 
LYTHRACEAE Loose-strife Family 
Herbs (ours) or shrubs or trees; stem 4-angled. Leaves mostly opposite or alter- 
nate; stipules usually none. Flowers perfect, solitary or clustered. Calyx persistent, 
free from the ovary but generally enclosing it, toothed, often with smaller teeth in the 
notches. Petals as many as the calyx-teeth or none (not in ours), on the calyx. Sta- 
mens various in number, on the calyx. Ovary 1—6-celled; style 1; stigmas capitate or 
2-lobed. Fruit a capsule, dehiscent or indehiscent. Seeds few to many. 
A. Calyx-tube campanulate, 4-striate; leaves all opposite, not rounded at base. 
B. Leaves linear-lanceolate, sessile, cordate-auricled and somewhat clasping at base; 
capsule bursting irregularly. AMMANNIA (p. 259) 
BB. Leaves oblong or linear-oblong, sessile or petioled, narrowed at base, not auricled 
nor clasping; capsule septicidal. RoTALIA (p. 259) 
AA.  Calyx-tube cylindric, 8 —12-striate; leaves alternate or the lower opposite, sessile, 
rounded at base, not clasping. LYTHRUM (p. 260) 
AMMANNIA 
Annual, glabrous (ours) or glabrate. Leaves opposite, ssessile, narrow, linear- 
lanceolate (ours), entire (ours). Flowers solitary or clustered, axillary. Calyx campanu- 
late to globose, 4-angled, 4-toothed, often with other small teeth in the notches. Petals 
4 (ours), deciduous. Stamens 4—8. Ovary enclosed in the calyx-tube, globose, 2—4- 
celled, bursting irregularly. (Honor of P. Ammann, a German botanist.) W. E. 
(A. latifolia.) A. coccineg, Rottb. 
ROTALIA 
Low, annual, mostly glabrous (ours so). Leaves sessile or sometimes petioled, oppo- 
site, linear or linear-oblong (ours), entire (ours). Flowers solitary, chiefly axillary, 
small. Calyx campanulate to globose, 4-lobed. Stamens 4. Capsule globose, enclosed 
