Oxygonum. | POLYGONACE& (Wright). 463 
KataHari Recion: Transvaal ; Boschveld, Elands River, Rehmann 4994! near 
Hammanskraal, 4900 ft., Schlechter, 4194! Pietersburg, 4000 ft., Bolus, 10884! 
Pretoria, Miss Leendertz, 589! Potgieters Rust, Miss Leendertz, 1877 ! Portuguese 
East Africa ; woods at Masuku, 100 ft., Schlechter, 12112! 
II. POLYGONUM, Linn. 
Flowers hermaphrodite, very varely polygamous. Perianth 
coloured, deeply 5- (rarely 4-) lobed or partite, persistent ; segments 
equal or the outer three rather larger, but little accrescent. 
Stamens usually 8, inserted near the base of the perianth ; 
filaments filiform ; anthers oblong, the two cells united only by a 
short connective. Ovary trigonous with 3 styles or lenticular with 
2 styles; stigmas capitate, usually entire; ovule solitary, basal. 
Fruit a trigonous or lenticular nut enclosed in the persistent 
perianth. Seed similar in shape to the nut ; embryo eccentric or 
lateral in the albumen; cotyledons usually narrow, longer or 
shorter than the incumbent or accumbent radicle. 
Herbs or shrubs, erect, prostrate or scandent; leaves alternate ; ochree mem- 
branous, clasping the stem, often fringed with bristles ; flowers usually fascicled 
in the axils of membranous bracts ; fascicles often arranged in terminal racemes, 
spikes or panicles ; pedicels articulated. 
Distris. Species about 150, cosmopolitan. 
Perianth 4-merous : 
Leaves oval and oblong, 2-6 lin. long ... wes ... (1) atraphaxoides. 
Leaves lanceolate, 4-5 in. long ... S a -.. (11) glutinosum. 
Perianth 5-merous : 
Leaves not more than 1 in. long, linear to oblong : 
Nutlet shorter than the perianth —.... iss 
Nutlet longer than the perianth = cas ap 
Leaves not more than 14 in. long, ovate or deltoid- 
(2) aviculare, 
(3) maritimum. 
ovate : 
Nutlet lenticular; styles2 ... ee ve ... (4) alatum. 
Nutlet triquetrous ; styles 3... a ae ... (5) Convolvulus, 
Leaves more than 2 in. long, oblong ... ie .. (6) amphibium. 
Leaves more than 2 in. long, more or less lanceolate : 
Styles 3: 
' Peduncles glabrous ... Ab ay ike ... (7) serrulatum. 
Peduncles hairy... aS sit tay (8) barbatum, 
Peduncles glandular... ak eae otk .-. (9) meisnerianum, 
Styles 2: ‘ 
Leaves densely hairy beneath : 
not ciliate ... oe ... (10) lanigerum. 
Bracts ciliate ae ‘ ... (12) tomentosum, 
Leaves hairy on the nerves and margins only : 
Ochreze not ciliate at the mouth : 
Peduncle not glandular eos re ... (18) senegalense. 
Peduncle glandular : 
Perianth glandular ... as nk --» (14) lapathifolium. 
