Lythrum
(from lythron, black blood; alluding to the colour of the flowers in some species). Loosestrife. ORD. Lythrarieae. A genus comprising about twelve species of hardy or nearly hardy herbaceous plants or small shrubs. Flowers pink, purple, or rarely white, in the axils of the leaves, solitary, or in few-flowered, aggregate cymes. Leaves opposite, rarely verticillate or alternate, linear-oblong or lanceolate, entire. The species are of easy culture in ordinary garden soil, and may be freely increased by divisions. L. Graefferi is a very ornamental trailing plant, well adapted for cultivating in hanging pans or baskets for greenhouse decoration in summer. It may readily be increased by cuttings.
L. alatum (winged). fl. of a beautiful purple, almost sessile, erect, six-petaled, furnished with two minute bracts. Summer and autumn. l. opposite, ovate-oblong, acute, rather cordate at the base, sessile, or nearly so. Branches twiggy, tetragonally winged. h. 1ft. to 4ft. North America, 1812. An elegant half-shrubby plant, thriving best in sandy soil. (B. M. 1812.) L. Graefferi (Graeffer's).* fl. solitary in the axils of all the upper leaves, shortly pedicelled; calyx 1/4in. long; tube slender; lobes twelve; petals longer than the calyx, bright pink. Summer and autumn. l. 1/4in. to 1in. long, all alternate, or the lower ones opposite, more or less oblong, or linear-oblong. h. 1ft. to 3ft. South Europe. (B. M. 6499.) L. roseum (rose-coloured). A variety of L. Salicaria. L. Salicaria (Willow-like).* Common Purple Loosestrife. fl. reddish-purple, in whorled leafy spikes, almost sessile; petals six or seven. July. l. opposite, lanceolate, cordate at the base. h. 2ft. to 5ft. England. A handsome native perennial, growing freely on the margins of streams and lakes. Its varieties are frequently very desirable, especially roseum and superbum. L. superbum (superb). A variety of L. Salicaria.
L. virgatum (twiggy). fl. purple, in threes, axillary, distinctly pedicellate; panicle twiggy. Summer. l. lanceolate, attenuated at the base. h. 2ft. to 3ft. Tauria, &c., 1776. Perennial. (B. M. 1003.)