LYTHRUM, PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE, in botany: A genus of the monogynia order, belonging to the decandria class of plants; and in the natural method ranking under the 17th order, Calycanthaceae. The calyx is cleft in 12 parts; and there are six petals inserted into it; the capsule is bilocular and polypermous. There are 10 species, of which the most remarkable are, 1. The salicaria, or common purple loosestrife, with oblong leaves, is a native of Britain, and grows naturally by the sides of ditches and rivers. It hath a perennial root, from which come forth several upright angular stalks, rising from three to four feet high, garnished with oblong leaves placed sometimes by pairs; but sometimes there are three leaves at each joint standing round the stalk. The flowers are purple, and produced in a long spike at the top of the stalk; so make a fine appearance. 2. The hispanum, or Spanish loosestrife, with an hyssop leaf, grows naturally in Spain and Portugal. It hath a perennial root. The stalks are slender, not more than nine or ten inches long, spreading out on every side. The lower part of the stalks is garnished with
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Lyttelton, with oblong oval leaves placed opposite. The flowers come out singly from the side of the stalks at each joint; they are larger than those of the common sort, and make a fine appearance in the month of July when they are in beauty. The first kind is propagated by parting the roots in autumn, but requires a moist soil; the second is propagated by seeds brought from those countries where it is native.