668 ORD. XL. Oleracee. 
POLYGONUM BISTORTA. GREATER BISTORT, Or, 
~ SNAKEWEED. 
ee oe 
SYNONYMA., | Bistorta. Pharm. Lond. & Edinb. — Bistorta. 
major. Gerard. emac. 399. Bistorta major vulgaris. Park. Theat. 
391. Bistorta major rugosioribus foliis. J. Bauh. ii. 538. 
Bistorta radice minus intorta. Bauh. Pin. 192. Raii Synopsis, 147. 
Raii Hist. 186. spec..1. Polygonum radice lignosa contorta, spica 
ovata, foliorum petiolis alatis. Hal. Stirp. Helv. No. 1558. 
Withering. Bot. Arrang. 406. Flor. Dan. 421. Curtis Flor. Lond. 
Class Octandria. Ord. Trigynia. L. Gen. Plant. 495. 
Ess. Gen. Ch. Cor. 5-partita, calycina. Sem. 1, angulatum. 
Sp: Ch. ~ P.-caule simplicissimo monostachyo, foliis ovatis in 
_ petiolum decurrentibus. 
THE root is about the thickness of a finger, perennial, crooked, 
rugose, of a firm texture, and of a reddish or flesh colour, covered 
with a brown rind, and furnished with numerous small fibres and 
creepers: the stalk is simple, bending, solid, round, smooth, 
swelled at the joints, enclosed by the sheaths of the stipulz, and is 
a foot and a half or two feet in height; the radical leaves are 
ovalish, or rather heart-shaped, pointed, and stand-wpon long 
winged footstalks; the upper leaves-embrace the stem, and are 
narrower and undulated. The flowers stand upon short footstalks, 
and terminate the stalk in an oblong close spike; the corolla is 
small, of tubular appearance, and divided into five oval obtuse 
segments, of a reddish white colour, and at the base supplied with 
several nectarious glands; the bracteal, or floral leaves, are mem- 
branous, withered, and each encloses two flowers; the filaments 
are tapering, white, longer than the corolla, and the antherex are 
