LOOSESTRIFE, a plant of the genus Lysi mochia, of the primrose family, about 40 species of which grow in the temperate zones. Several yellow-flowered species belong to the United States, but those best known are the whorled or four-leaved, L. quadrifolia, and the bulb bearing, L. terrestris. Two or three species, es pecially L. nummularia, popularly known as moneywort, creeping Charley and creeping Jenny, have been introduced from Europe. One kind is eaten in India as a pot-herb with fish. "Again and again ,° says Miss Lounsberry, in her 'Southern Wild Flowers and Trees,' "we come across the loosestrifes during our summer and early autumn rambles. And soon we learn to associate with them their opposite, or whorled, leaves, always entire, and their up right, rather stiff manner of growth, and very frequently we look for their petals to be darkly spotted near the bases. In personality the genus reminds us somewhat of the St. John's-wort, but we think of the latter as being usually freer, more prolific bloomers. The old and pretty
legend concerning our present plants is that they loose strife; that they act as peace-makers especially among cattle that are quarrelsome. Believing this, people in the old country used to tie such a spray to their yokes before starting out on a long journey.° The name loosestrife is also given to species of the genus Lythrum of the family Lythracee, of which about a dozen species are widely dis tributed in temperate climates. They are char acterized by four-angled stems, usually opposite leaves which are sometimes whorled, and red dish-purple or white flowers, solitary above and whorled lower down the stems. Some are culti vated for ornament in borders and among shrubbery, where they succeed well. The best known species is the purple loosestrife (L. solicaria), which is frequently planted.