Family

Loosestrife.

Colour

Purplish pink.

Odour

Scentless.

Range

Conn, to Illinois and southward.

Time of Bloom

July-October.

Flowers: small; growing in loose racemes along the branches. Calyx: tubular; six-toothed, extending into a spur on the upper side; purplish; sticky. Corolla: of six unequal ovate petals, having short claws. Stamens: about twelve; irregular; in two sets. Pistil: one; stigma, two-lobed. Leaves: opposite; lanceolate; disagreeable to the touch. Stem: branching; reddish; clammy.

In the autumn, when we wander through the pastures or by the roadsides, it is the turn of this flower to claim our attention. The petals have a wrinkled look, and the pods, from the position of the seed-bearing part of the ovary, appear to have a little handle. These points, and remembering that it is a loosestrife, serve readily to identify the plant.