are, however, not sufficiently good to pronounce upon, and 
the racemes from which the flowers have fallen are much 
shorter and more fascicled. — 
This species was introduced into England many years 
ago; it has been cultivated for a quarter of a century at 
Kew, to which it was, I believe, sent from Holland. Like 
the rest of the half-shrubby species, it flowers very late in 
the season, and is diceceous. : 
Desor. A tall glabrous bushy herb, six feet high, with 
innumerable stout branching angular red-brown leafy stems 
rising in a tuft from an underground root-stock which 
sends out innumerable runners. Leaves three to four 
inches long and sometimes almost as broad, usually broadly 
ovate-cordate, and abruptly acuminate, sometimes almost 
orbicular, often truncate at the base with rounded angles, 
firm, reticulated, dark green, paler beneath ; petiole one 
quarter to one inch long; ochre short, caducous. Racemes 
puberulous, axillary, sessile or subsessile, shorter than the 
leaves, usually paniculately branched at the base, the 
branches spreading and given off so low down that the 
racemes appear fascicled; bracts small, obtuse; pedicels 
slender, jointed below the middle. Flowers diceceous, 
white. Perianth one quarter of an inch in diameter; 
segments broadly elliptic, obtuse, concave. Stamens six or 
seven, imperfect in the female flower. Styles three, short, 
cuneate. fruiting perianth obcordate, three outer sepals 
broadly winged, about one-third of an inch long, gradually 
narrowed into the capillary pedicel. Nut small, trigonous, 
shining.— J, D. H. 
Fig. 1, Female flower ; 2, longitudinal section of the same :—both enlarged. 
