Planta Lindheime7'iance. 231 



July. A low shrubby plant, 1-2 feet high, with the aspect of 

 a heath. 1 



1 This plant also occurs in Drummond's Texan Collection (No. 19 & 348 of 3d 

 Coll.) ; from which source douhtless Fischer and Meyer obtained the specimens, upon 

 which ihey established the genus Gonopyrum. But their genus must be reduced to 

 Polygonella, from which it differs only in the hermaphrodite, instead of dioico-poly- 

 gamous flowers, a character which would be insufficient, even if constant, which it 

 probably is not. The filaments of Polygonella polygama (which are more correctly 

 described than figured by Ventenat) are not materially different from those of the 

 new Texan species. The generic character, &c. should properly stand as follows : 



POLYGONELLA, Michx. (Tub. Rumicex, Meyer.) 

 Polygonella and Gonopyrum, Meyer I. c. supr. 



Flores dioico-polygami vel hermaphroditi. Perigonium pentaphyllum, petaloide- 

 um; phyllis seriei exterioris 2 immutatis fructif. reflexis, seriei interioris 3 erectis 

 planis post anthesin ampliatis conniventibus fructum triquetrum includentibus. 

 Stamina 8: filamenta dimorpha ; nempe, tria phyllis perigonii interioribus opposita 

 inferne dilatata et saepe bidentata ; caetera subulato-setacea. Styli 3 : stigmata 

 capitata. Embryo in axi albuminis rectiusculus. — Fruticuli ramosissimi glabri, in 

 planitiebus aridissimis Amer. Bor.-Orient. ca'.idioribus vigentes ; ramis hornotinis 

 herbaceis foliosis ochreatis (ochreis brevibus nudis unidentatis) ; foliis crassiusculis 

 parvulis linearibus spathulatisve subsessilibus sparsis vel in axillis pi. m. fascicula- 

 tis ; floribus (albis vel roseis) parvis spicato-racemosis ; rachi dense et appresse 

 imbricatim ochreato-bracteati quasi articulati ; pedicillis solitariis articulatis, fructi- 

 feris pendulis ; racemis sa?pius paniculatis. 



1. P. polygama: foliis cuneato-linearibus spathulatisve ; floribus dioico-polygamis ; 

 sepalis ovalibus ad anthesin suba3qualibus ; filamentis tribus basi ovato-dilatatis vix 

 aut ne vix dentatis ; stylis brevissimis. — Polygamum polygamum, Vent. Hort. 

 Cels. t. 65; Ml. Sk. I. p. 458. Polygonella parvifolia, Michx. ! Fl. II. p. 240; 

 Nutt. Gen. I. p. 256 (sub Polygono) ; Meisn. Gen. Vase. Comm. p. 228. Polygo- 

 num (Polygonella) gracile, Nutt. Gen. 1. c.? — In arenosis (sandy pine-barrens,) 

 Carolina; ! Georgia! Floridse (Bartram! Leavenworth.') et, fide Nutt., in Ar- 

 kansas. 



2. P. ericoides: foliis linearibus vel anguste spathulato-linearibus fasciculatis ; 

 floribus (an semper ?) hermaphroditis ; sepalis orbiculatis, interioribus subcordatis 

 exteriora virido-carinata ad anthesin superantibus ; filamentis tribus basi valde 

 bidentato-dilatalis quasi obcordatis ; stylis longiusculis. — Gonopyrum Americanum, 

 Fisch. <Sf Meyer, in Mem. Acad. St. Petersb. I. c. supra. — In planitiebus aridis 

 Texas, Drummond, ! Lindheimer ! Wright! Flores duplo majores quam in prace- 

 dente, ramis crassioribus, etc. 



For the first species we have adopted the older specific name of Ventenat. in 

 place of that of Michaux, chiefly because it is the largest-leaved species of the 

 genus. 



Polygonum articulatum, Linn., which is joined, by Nuttall and Meisner, to Poly- 

 gonella, with which, indeed, it nearly accords in habit (though an annual herb) and 

 inflorescence, has all the sepals uniform and erect in fruit, the three inner not at all 

 enlarged, and the embryo is lateral as in Polygonum. 



