flowers in heads or spikes, often polygamous or monoecious; the calyx
cohering with the base of the ovary, which consists of 2 pistils united
below, and forms a 2-beaked, 2-celled woody capsule, opening at the
summit, with a single bony seed in each cell, or several, only one or
two of them ripening._--Petals inserted on the calyx, narrow, valvate or
involute in the bud, or often none at all. Stamens twice as many as the
petals, and half of them sterile and changed into scales, or numerous.
Seeds anatropous. Embryo large and straight, in scanty albumen;
cotyledons broad and flat.
[*] Flowers with a manifest calyx, or calyx and corolla, and a single
ovule suspended from the summit of each cell.
1. Hamamelis. Petals 4, strap-shaped. Stamens and scales each 4, short.
2. Fothergilla. Petals none. Stamens about 24, long; filaments thickened
upward.
[*][*] Flowers naked, with barely rudiments of a calyx and no corolla,
crowded into catkin-like heads. Ovules several or many in each cell.
3. Liquidambar. Monoecious or polygamous. Stamens very numerous.
Capsules consolidated by their bases in a dense head.
1. HAMAMELIS, L. WITCH-HAZEL.
Flowers in little axillary clusters or heads, usually surrounded by a
scale-like 3-leaved involucre. Calyx 4-parted, and with 2 or 3 bractlets
at its base. Petals 4, strap-shaped, long and narrow, spirally involute
in the bud. Stamens 8, very short; the 4 alternate with the petals
anther-bearing, the others imperfect and scale-like. Styles 2, short.
Capsule opening loculicidally from the top; the outer coat separating
from the inner, which encloses the single large and bony seed in each
cell, but soon bursts elastically into two pieces.--Tall shrubs, with
straight-veined leaves, and yellow, perfect or polygamous flowers. (From
[Greek: a(/ma], _at the same time with_, and [Greek: meli/s], _an
apple-tree_; a name anciently applied to the Medlar, or some similar
tree.)
1. H. Virginiana, L. Leaves obovate or oval, wavy-toothed, somewhat
downy when young; blossoming late in autumn, when the leaves are
falling, and maturing its seeds the next summer.--Damp woods, N. Scotia
to Fla., west to E. Minn. and La.
2. FOTHERGILLA, L.
Flowers in a terminal catkin-like spike, mostly perfect. Calyx
bell-shaped, the summit truncate, slightly 5--7-toothed. Petals none.
Stamens about 24, borne on the margin of the calyx in one row, all
alike; filaments very long, thickened at the top (white). Styles 2,
slender. Capsule cohering with the base of the calyx, 2-lobed, 2-celled,
with a single bony seed in each cell.--A low shrub; the oval or obovate
leaves smooth, or hoary underneath, toothed at the summit; the flowers
appearing rather before the leaves, each partly covered by a scale-like
bract. (Dedicated to the distinguished _Dr. John Fothergill_.)
1. F. Gardeni, L. (F. alnifolia, _L. f._)--Low grounds, Va. to N. C.
April, May.
3. LIQUIDAMBAR, L. SWEET-GUM TREE.
Flowers usually monoecious, in globular heads or catkins; the sterile
arranged in a conical cluster, naked; stamens very numerous, intermixed
with minute scales; filaments short. Fertile flowers consisting of many
2-celled 2-beaked ovaries, subtended by minute scales in place of a
calyx, all more or less cohering together and hardening in fruit,
forming a spherical catkin or head; the capsules opening between the 2
awl-shaped beaks. Styles 2, stigmatic down the inner side. Ovules many,
but only one or two perfecting. Seeds with a wing-angled
seed-coat.--Catkins racemed, nodding, in the bud enclosed by a 4-leaved
deciduous involucre. (A mongrel name, from _liquidus_, fluid, and the
Arabic _ambar_, amber; in allusion to the fragrant terebinthine juice
which exudes from the tree.)
1. L. Styraciflua, L. (SWEET GUM. BILSTED.) Leaves rounded, deeply
5--7-lobed, smooth and shining, glandular-serrate, the lobes
pointed.--Moist woods, from Conn. to S. Ill., and south to Fla. and Tex.
April.--A large and beautiful tree, with fine-grained wood, the gray
bark commonly with corky ridges on the branchlets. Leaves fragrant when
bruised, turning deep crimson in autumn. The woody pods filled mostly
with abortive seeds, resembling sawdust.
ORDER 39. HALORAGEAE. (WATER-MILFOIL FAMILY.)
_Aquatic or marsh plants (at least in northern countries), with the
inconspicuous symmetrical_ (perfect or unisexual) _flowers sessile in
the axils of leaves or bracts, calyx-tube coherent with the ovary_ (or
calyx and corolla wanting in Callitriche), _which consists of 2--4 more
or less united carpels_ (or in Hippuris of only one carpel), _the styles
or sessile stigmas distinct_. Limb of the calyx obsolete or very short
in fertile flowers. Petals small or none. Stamens 1--8. Fruit
indehiscent, 1--4-celled, with a single anatropous seed suspended from
the summit of each cell. Embryo in the axis of fleshy albumen;
cotyledons minute.
1. Myriophyllum. Flowers monoecious or polygamous, the parts in fours,
with or without petals. Stamens 4 or 8. Leaves often whorled, the
immersed pinnately dissected.
2. Proserpinaca. Flowers perfect, the parts in threes. Petals none.
Leaves alternate, the immersed pinnately dissected.
3. Hippuris. Flowers usually perfect. Petals none. Stamen, style, and
cell of the ovary only one. Leaves entire, in whorls.
4. Callitriche. Flowers monoecious. Calyx and petals none. Stamen 1.
Ovary 4-celled, with 2 filiform styles. Leaves entire, opposite.
1. MYRIOPHYLLUM, Vaill. WATER-MILFOIL.
Flowers monoecious or polygamous. Calyx of the sterile flowers 4-parted,
of the fertile 4-toothed. Petals 4, or none. Stamens 4--8. Fruit
nut-like, 4-celled, deeply 4-lobed; stigmas 4, recurved.--Perennial
aquatics. Leaves crowded, often whorled; those under water pinnately
parted into capillary divisions. Flowers sessile in the axils of the
upper leaves, usually above water in summer; the uppermost staminate.
(Name from [Greek: myri/os], _a thousand_, and [Greek: phy/llon], _a
leaf_, i.e., Milfoil.)
[*] _Stamens 8; petals deciduous; carpels even; leaves whorled in threes
or fours._
1. M. spicatum, L. Leaves all pinnately parted and capillary, except the
_floral ones or bracts_; these _ovate, entire or toothed, and chiefly
shorter than the flowers_, which thus form an interrupted spike.--Deep
water, Newf. to N. Eng. and N. Y., west to Minn., Ark., and the
Pacific. (Eu.)
2. M. verticillatum, L. _Floral leaves much longer than the flowers,
pectinate-pinnatifid_; otherwise nearly as n. 1.--Ponds, etc., common.
(Eu.)
[*][*] _Stamens 4; petals rather persistent; carpels 1--2-ridged and
roughened on the back; leaves whorled in fours and fives, the lower with
capillary divisions._
3. M. heterophyllum, Michx. Stem stout; _floral leaves ovate and
lanceolate_, thick, crowded, sharply serrate, the lowest pinnatifid;
_fruit obscurely roughened._--Lakes and rivers, Ont. and N. Y. to Fla.,
west to Minn. and Tex.
4. M. scabratum, Michx. Stem rather slender; lower leaves pinnately
parted with few capillary divisions; _floral leaves linear_ (rarely
scattered), _pectinate-toothed or cut-serrate; carpels strongly 2-ridged
and roughened on the back_.--Shallow ponds, S. New Eng. to S. C., west
to Mo. and La.
[*][*][*] _Stamens 4; petals rather persistent; carpels even on the
back, leaves chiefly scattered, or wanting on the flowering stems._
5. M. ambiguum, Nutt. _Immersed leaves pinnately parted_ into about 10
very delicate capillary divisions; _the emerging ones pectinate, or the
upper floral linear_ and sparingly toothed or entire; _flowers mostly
perfect_; fruit (minute) smooth.--Ponds and ditches, Mass. to N. J. and
Penn.; also in Ind.--Var. CAPILLACEUM, Torr. & Gray, has stems
floating, long and very slender, and leaves all immersed and capillary.
Var. LIMOSUM, Torr., is small, rooting in the mud, with leaves all
linear, incised, toothed, or entire.
6. M. tenellum, Bigelow. _Flowering stems nearly leafless and
scape-like_ (3--10' high), erect, simple; the sterile shoots creeping
and tufted, bracts small, entire; _flowers alternate, monoecious_; fruit
smooth.--Borders of ponds, Newf. to N. Eng., west to Mich.
2. PROSERPINACA, L. MERMAID-WEED.
Flowers perfect. Calyx-tube 3-sided, the limb 3-parted. Petals none.
Stamens 3. Stigmas 3, cylindrical. Fruit bony, 3-angled, 3-celled,
3-seeded, nut-like.--Low, perennial herbs, with the stems creeping at
base, alternate leaves, and small flowers sessile in the axils, solitary
or 3--4 together, in summer. (Name applied by Pliny to a Polygonum,
meaning _pertaining to Proserpine_.)
1. P. palustris, L. _Leaves lanceolate, sharply serrate_, the lower
pectinate when under water; fruit sharply angled.--Wet swamps, N. Eng.
to Fla., west to Minn. and Tex.
2. P. pectinacea, Lam. _Leaves all pectinate_, the divisions
linear-awl-shaped; fruit rather obtusely angled.--Sandy swamps, near the
coast, Mass. to Fla. and La.
3. HIPPURIS, L. MARE'S TAIL.
Flowers perfect or polygamous. Calyx entire. Petals none. Stamen one,
inserted on the edge of the calyx. Style single, thread-shaped,
stigmatic down one side, received in the groove between the lobes of the
large anther. Fruit nut-like, 1-celled, 1-seeded.--Perennial aquatics,
with simple entire leaves in whorls, and minute flowers sessile in the
axils in summer. (Name from [Greek: i(/ppos] _a horse_, and [Greek:
ou)ra/], _a tail_.)
1. H. vulgaris, L. Stems simple (1--2 deg. high); leaves in whorls of 8 or
12, linear, acute; fruit nearly 1'' long.--Ponds and springs, Penn. to
Ind. and Minn., and northward. (Eu.)
4. CALLITRICHE, L. WATER-STARWORT.
Flowers monoecious, solitary or 2 or 3 together in the axil of the same
leaf, wholly naked or between a pair of membranaceous bracts. Sterile
flower a single stamen; filament bearing a heart-shaped 4-celled anther,
which by confluence becomes 1-celled, and opens by a single slit.
Fertile flower a single 4-celled ovary, either sessile or pedicelled,
bearing 2 distinct and filiform sessile, usually persistent stigmas.
Fruit nut-like, compressed, 4-lobed, 4-celled, separating at maturity
into as many closed 1-seeded portions. Seed pendulous, filling the cell;
embryo slender, straight or slightly curved, nearly the length of the
oily albumen.--Low, slender and usually tufted, glabrous, or beset with
minute (microscopic) stellate scales, with spatulate or linear entire
leaves, both forms of leaves often occurring on the same stem. (Name
from [Greek: kalo/s], _beautiful_, and [Greek: thri/x], _hair_, from the
often almost capillary stems.)
[*] _Small annuals, forming tufts on moist soil, destitute of stellate
scales; leaves uniform, very small, obovate or oblanceolate, 3-nerved,
crowded; bracts none._
1. C. deflexa, Braun. var. Austini, Hegelm. Stems 1/2--1' high; fruit
small ({1/3}'' broad), broader than high, deeply notched above and
below, on a pedicel often nearly of its own length or nearly sessile;
lobes of the fruit narrowly winged and with a deep groove between them;
persistent stigmas shorter than the fruit, spreading or reflexed; leaves
1--2'' long. (C. Austini, _Engelm_)--On damp soil, N. Y. and N. J. to
Ill., Mo., and Tex. (S. Am.)
[*][*] _Amphibious perennials; leaves with stellate scales, the floating
ones obovate and 3-nerved, the submersed linear (all uniform and narrow
in terrestrial forms) flowers usually between a pair of bracts._
2. C. verna, L. Fruit (1/2'' long) higher than broad, obovate, slightly
obcordate, usually thickest at the base, sessile, its lobes sharply
keeled or very narrowly winged above, and with a wide groove between
them; stigmas shorter than the fruit, almost erect, usually deciduous;
floating leaves crowded in a tuft, obovate, narrowed into a
petiole.--Common in stagnant waters, Penn. and N. J. to Fla., west to
Minn., Tex., and the Pacific. (Eu.)
3. C. heterophylla, Pursh. Fruit smaller, as broad or broader than high,
deeply emarginate, thick, almost ventricose, sessile or nearly so, its
lobes obtusely angled, with a small groove between them; stigmas as long
as the fruit, erect, persistent; floating leaves crowded in a tuft,
broadly spatulate, often retuse, abruptly narrowed into a long
petiole.--Stagnant water, N. Y. and N. J. to S. Ind. and Mo.
[*][*][*] _Submersed perennial, with numerous uniform linear 1-nerved
leaves; flowers without bracts; carpels separate nearly to the axis._
4 C. autumnalis, L. Stems 3--6' high; fruit large (1'' wide or more),
flattened, circular, deeply and narrowly notched, sessile or nearly so,
its lobes broadly winged, and with a very deep and narrow groove between
them; stigmas very long, reflexed, deciduous; leaves all linear from a
broader base, retuse or notched at the tip (2--6'' long).--W. Mass.,
Lake Champlain and N. New York, Lake Superior, and westward. (Eu.)
ORDER 40. MELASTOMACEAE. (MELASTOMA FAMILY.)
_Plants with opposite 3--7-ribbed leaves, and definite stamens, the
anthers opening by pores at the apex; otherwise much as in the_
Onagraceae.--All tropical, except the genus
1. RHEXIA, L. DEER-GRASS. MEADOW-BEAUTY.
Calyx-tube urn-shaped, coherent with the ovary below, and continued
above it, persistent, 4-cleft at the apex. Petals 4, convolute in the
bud, oblique, inserted along with the 8 stamens on the summit of the
calyx-tube. Anthers long, 1-celled, inverted in the bud. Style 1; stigma
1. Capsule invested by the permanent calyx, 4-celled, with 4 many-seeded
placentae projecting from the central axis. Seeds coiled like a snail
shell, without albumen.--Low perennial herbs, often bristly, with mostly
sessile 3--5-nerved and bristly-edged leaves, and large showy cymose
flowers; in summer; the petals falling early. (A name in Pliny for some
unknown plant, probably from [Greek: r(e~xis], _a crevice_, from the
place of growth.)
[*] _Anthers linear, curved, with a minute spur on the back at the
attachment of the filament above its base; flowers cymose, peduncled._
1. R. Virginica, L. _Stem square_, with wing-like angles; _leaves
oval-lanceolate, sessile, acute_; calyx-tube and pedicels more or less
hispid with gland-tipped hairs; petals bright purple.--Sandy swamps;
coast of Maine to Fla., west to northern N. Y., Ind., Mo., and La.
Slender rootstocks tuberiferous.
2. R. aristosa, Britt. Branches somewhat wing-angled; leaves
linear-oblong, sessile, not narrowed at base, naked or very sparsely
hairy; hairs of the calyx mostly below the throat, not gland-tipped;
petals sparsely villous, bright purple.--Egg Harbor City, N. J. (_J. E.
Peters_); also Sumter Co., S. C. (_J. D. Smith_).
3. R. Mariana, L. _Stems cylindrical; leaves linear-oblong_, narrowed
below, mostly petiolate; petals paler.--Sandy swamps; N. J. to Fla.,
west to Mo. and La.
[*][*] _Anthers oblong, straight, without any spur; flowers few,
sessile._
4. R. ciliosa, Michx. Stem square, glabrous; leaves broadly ovate,
ciliate with long bristles; calyx glabrous.--Md. to Fla. and La.
ORDER 41. LYTHRACEAE. (LOOSESTRIFE FAMILY.)
_Herbs, with mostly opposite entire leaves, no stipules, the calyx
enclosing but free from the 1--4-celled many-seeded ovary and membranous
capsule, and bearing the 4--7 deciduous petals and 4--14 stamens on its
throat; the latter lower down. Style 1; stigma capitate, or rarely
2-lobed._--Flowers axillary or whorled, rarely irregular, perfect,
sometimes dimorphous or even trimorphous, those on different plants with
filaments and style reciprocally longer and shorter. Petals sometimes
wanting. Capsule often 1-celled by the early breaking away of the thin
partitions; placentae in the axis. Seeds anatropous, without
albumen.--Branches usually 4-sided.
[*] Flowers regular or nearly so.
[+] Flowers mostly solitary in the axils of the leaves, sessile or
nearly so.
1. Didiplis. Calyx short, without appendages. Petals none. Stamens 4.
Capsule indehiscent. Small aquatic.
2. Rotala. Calyx short, the sinuses appendaged. Petals and stamens 4.
Capsule septicidal, with 3--4 valves.
3. Ammannia. Flowers not trimorphous. Petals generally 4 or none.
Stamens 4. Capsule bursting irregularly.
[+][+] Flowers in 3--many-flowered axillary cymes (rarely solitary).
4. Lythrum. Calyx tubular. Petals usually 6. Stamens mostly 6 or 12.
Flowers cymose-spicate in one species.
5. Decodon. Flowers trimorphous. Petals 5 (rarely 4). Stamens 8--10.
Capsule 3--4-valved, loculicidal.
[*][*] Flowers irregular and unsymmetrical, with 6 petals and 11
stamens.
6. Cuphea. Calyx spurred or enlarged on one side at base. Petals
unequal.
1. DIDIPLIS, Raf. WATER PURSLANE.
Calyx short-campanulate or semiglobose, with no appendages at the
sinuses (or a mere callous point). Petals none. Stamens 4, short.
Capsule globular, indehiscent, 2-celled.--Submersed aquatic (sometimes
terrestrial), rooting in the mud, with opposite linear leaves, and very
small greenish flowers solitary in their axils. ("Didiplis means _two
doubling_;" from [Greek: dis], _twice_, and [Greek: diploos], _double_.)
1. D. linearis, Raf. Leaves when submersed elongated, thin, closely
sessile by a broad base, when emersed shorter and contracted at base;
calyx with broad triangular lobes; style very short; capsules very
small. (Ammannia Nuttallii, _Gray_.)--From Minn. and Wisc. to Tex., east
to N. C. and Fla.
2. ROTALA, L.
Calyx short-campanulate or semiglobose, with tooth-like appendages at
the sinuses (abnormally, in our species). Petals 4 (in ours). Stamens 4,
short. Capsule globular, 4-celled, septicidal, the valves (under a
strong lens) transversely and densely striate. (Name a diminutive of
_rota_, a wheel, from the whorled leaves of the original species.)
1. R. ramosior, Koehne. Leaves tapering at base or into a short petiole,
linear-oblanceolate or somewhat spatulate; flowers solitary (rarely 3)
in the axils and sessile; accessory teeth of calyx as long as the lobes
or shorter. (Ammannia humilis, _Michx._)--Low or wet ground, Mass. to
Fla., west to Ind., Kan., and Tex.--With Ammannia-like habit, an
exception in the genus.
3. AMMANNIA, Houston.
Flowers in 3--many-flowered axillary cymes. Calyx globular or
bell-shaped, 4-angled, 4-toothed, usually with a little horn-shaped
appendage at each sinus. Petals 4 (purplish), small and deciduous,
sometimes wanting. Stamens 4--8. Capsule globular, 2--4-celled,
bursting irregularly.--Low and inconspicuous smooth herbs, with opposite
narrow leaves, and small flowers in their axils, produced all summer.
(Named after _Paul Ammann_, a German botanist anterior to Linnaeus.)
1. A. coccinea, Rottb. Leaves linear-lanceolate (2--3' long), with a
broad auricled sessile base; cymes subsessile, dense; petals purplish;
stamens more or less exserted; style usually slender; capsule included.
(A. latifolia, _Gray_, Manual, not _L._)--N. J. to Fla., west to
S. Ind., Kan., and Tex. The style varies much in length, sometimes in
the same specimen. Apparently the more developed form of the southern A.
latifolium, L., which, as limited by Koehne, has apetalous flowers, with
included stamens and short style.
4. LYTHRUM, L. LOOSESTRIFE.
Calyx cylindrical, striate, 5--7-toothed, with as many little processes
in the sinuses. Petals 5--7. Stamens as many as the petals or twice the
number, inserted low down on the calyx, commonly nearly equal. Capsule
oblong, 2-celled.--Slender herbs, with opposite or scattered mostly
sessile leaves, and purple (rarely white) flowers; produced in summer.
(Name from [Greek: ly/thron], _blood_; perhaps from the styptic
properties of some species.)
[*] _Stamens and petals 5--7; flowers small, solitary and nearly sessile
in the axils of the mostly scattered upper leaves; proper calyx-teeth
often shorter than the intermediate processes; plants smooth._
1. L. Hyssopifolia, L. Low annual (6--10' high), pale; leaves
oblong-linear, obtuse, longer than the inconspicuous flowers; petals
pale-purple; stamens usually 4--6, included.--Marshes, near the coast,
Maine to N. J. (Eu.)
2. L. lineare, L. Stem slender and tall (3--4 deg. high), bushy at top,
_with 2 margined angles; leaves linear, chiefly opposite_; petals
whitish; flowers with 6 included stamens and a short style, or the
stamens exserted and style short; _ovary on a thick short stalk; no
fleshy hypogynous ring_.--Brackish marshes, N. J. to Fla. and Tex.
3. L. alatum, Pursh. Tall and wand-like perennial; _branches with
margined angles; leaves oblong-ovate to linear-lanceolate, acute, with a
cordate or rounded base_, the upper mostly _alternate; calyx 2--4''
long_; petals rather large, deep-purple; _stamens of the short-styled
flowers exserted; fleshy hypogynous ring prominent_.--Ont. to Minn.,
south to Ga., Ark., and Col.; also near Boston.
[*][*] _Stamens 12 (rarely 8 or 10), twice the number of the petals, 6
longer and 6 shorter; flowers large, crowded and whorled in an
interrupted spike._
L. SALICARIA, L. (SPIKED LOOSESTRIFE.) More or less downy and tall;
leaves lanceolate, heart-shaped at base, sometimes whorled in threes;
flowers purple, trimorphous in the relative lengths of the stamens and
style.--Wet meadows, N. Scotia to Del. (Nat. from Eu.)
5. DECODON, Gmel. SWAMP LOOSESTRIFE.
Calyx short, broadly bell-shaped or hemispherical, with 5--7 erect
teeth, and as many longer and spreading horn-like processes at the
sinuses. Petal 5. Stamens 10 (rarely 8), exserted, of two lengths.
Capsule globose, 3--5-celled, loculicidal.--Perennial herbs or slightly
shrubby plants, with opposite or whorled leaves, and axillary clusters
of trimorphous flowers. (Name from [Greek: de/ka], _ten_, and [Greek:
o)dou/s], _tooth_.)
1. D. verticillatus, Ell. Smooth or downy; stems recurved (2--8 deg. long),
4--6-sided; leaves lanceolate, nearly sessile, opposite or whorled, the
upper with clustered flowers in their axils on short pedicels; petals 5,
wedge-lanceolate, rose-purple (1/2' long); stamens 10, half of them
shorter. (Nesaea verticillata, _HBK._)--Swampy grounds, N. Eng. to Fla.,
west to Ont., Minn., and La. Bark of the lower part of the stem often
spongy-thickened.
6. CUPHEA, Jacq.
Calyx tubular, 12-ribbed, somewhat inflated below, gibbous or spurred at
the base on the upper side, 6-toothed at the apex, and usually with as
many little processes in the sinuses. Petals 6, very unequal. Stamens
mostly 12, approximate in 2 sets, included, unequal. Ovary with a curved
gland at the base next the spur of the calyx, 1--2-celled; style
slender; stigma 2-lobed. Capsule oblong, few-seeded, early ruptured
through one side.--Flowers solitary or racemose, stalked. (Name from
[Greek: kypho/s], _gibbous_, from the shape of the calyx.)
1. C. viscosissima, Jacq. (CLAMMY CUPHEA.) Annual, very viscid-hairy,
branching; leaves ovate-lanceolate; petals ovate, short-clawed, purple;
seeds flat, borne on one side of the placenta, which is early forced out
of the ruptured capsule.--Dry fields, R. I. to Ga., west to Kan. and La.
ORDER 42. ONAGRACEAE. (EVENING-PRIMROSE FAMILY.)
_Herbs, with 4-merous (sometimes 2--3- or 5--6-merous) perfect and
symmetrical flowers; the tube of the calyx cohering with the 2--4-celled
ovary, its lobes valvate in the bud, or obsolete, the petals convolute
in the bud, sometimes wanting; and the stamens as many or twice as many
as the petals or calyx-lobes_, inserted on the summit of the calyx-tube.
Style single, slender; stigma 2--4-lobed or capitate. Pollen grains
often connected by cobwebby threads. Seeds anatropous, small, without
albumen.--Mostly herbs, with opposite or alternate leaves. Stipules none
or glandular.
[*] Parts of the flower in fours or more.
[+] Fruit a many-seeded pod, usually loculicidal.
[++] Calyx-limb divided to the summit of the ovary, persistent.
1. Jussiaea. Petals 4--6. Stamens twice as many. Capsule elongated.
2. Ludwigia. Petals 4 or none. Stamens 4. Capsule short.
[++][++] Calyx-tube prolonged beyond the ovary (scarcely so in n. 3) and
deciduous from it. Flowers 4-merous.