BUCKWHEAT FAMILY. 547 
3. RUMEX L,. Sp. Pl. 333. 1753- 
Perennial or annual, leafy-stemmed herbs, sofne species slightly woody, the leaves in some 
mainly basal. Stem grooved, mostly branched, erect, spreading or creeping. Leaves en- 
tire or undulate, flat or crisped, the ocreae usually cylindric, brittle and fugacious, the inflor- 
escence consisting of simple or compound, often panicled racemes. Flowers green, perfect, 
dioecious, or polygamo-monoecious, whorled, on jointed pedicels. Corolla none. Calyx 6- 
parted, the 3 outer sepals unchanged in fruit, the 3 inner ones mostly developed into wings, 
one or all three of which usually bears a callosity (tubercle); wings entire, dentate, or fringed 
with bristle-like teeth. Stamens‘6, included or exserted; filaments very short, glabrous; 
anthers oblong. Style g-parted; stigmas peltate, tufted; achene 3-angled, the angles more or 
less margined. Embryo curved or nearly straight, borne in one of the faces of the 3-angled 
seed. [The ancient Latin name. ] 
About 130 species, of wide geographic distribution. Besides the following, some 6 others occur 
in the southern and western parts of North America. 
*% Leaves hastate; flowers dioecious; foliage acid; low species. 
“Inner sepals not developing wings in fruit; achene granular. 1. R. Acetosella. 
Fruiting inner sepals developing wings; achene smooth. 
Basal leaves numerous; wings orbicular-cordate. 2. R. hastatulus. 
Basal leaves few; wings broadly oblong-cordate. 3. R. Acelosa. 
%% Leaves not hastate; flowers perfect or polygamo-dioecious ; foliage scarcely or not at all acid; 
tall species. 
Leaves flat, bright or light green, or glaucescent. 
Wings ''-1'2' broad, reddish; no tubercles. 4. R. venosus. 
Wings small, not red, bearing tubercles. 
J Tubercles usually 3. 
Pedicels little longer than the wings. 5. R. salictfolius. 
Pedicels several times longer than the wings. 6. R. verticillatus. 
Tubercle usually 1; pedicels equalling the wings. 7. R. allissimus. 
Leaves wavy-margined or crisped, dark green, not glaucescent. 
Wings entire, more or less undulate. 
Lower leaves narrowed or acuminate at the base. 
Tubercle 1. 8. R. Patientia. 
Tubercles 3. ; g. R. Britannica. 
Lower leaves cordate or rounded at the base. 
Tubercles wanting. 10. R. occidentalis. 
Tubercles mostly 3. 
Inflorescence not leafy; pedicels long. il. R. crispus. 
Inflorescence leafy; pedicels short. 12. R. conglomeratus. 
Tubercle 1; inflorescence not leafy; pedicels short. 13. R. sanguineus. 
Wings toothed or fringed. 
Lower leaves cordate. 
Wings ovate or oblong-ovate; tubercles mostly 2. 14. R. pulcher. 
Wings hastate or ovate-hastate; tubercle 1. 15. R. obtusifolius. 
Lower leaves mostly narrowed at base; wings with 4 spreading bristle-like teeth. 
16. R. persicariotdes. 
1. Rumex Acetosélla I, Field or Sheep Sorrel. (Fig. 1299.) 
Rumex Acetosella I. Sp. Pl. 338. 1753. 
Annual or perennial, glabrous, dioecious, 
stem slender, erect or nearly so, simple or 
branched, the rootstock woody, horizontal or 
creeping. Leaves narrowly hastate, 1/-4’ long, 
obtuse or acute at the apex, usually widest 
above the middle, petioled, the basal auricles 
entire or I-2-toothed, or the uppermost leaves 
nearly linear and not auricled, all papillose; 
ocreae silvery, 2-parted, soon lacerate; flowers 
in erect panicled racemes; racemes inter- 
rupted; calyx green, 14’’ long, pedicelled; 
stamens exserted; achene less than 1/’ long, 
very granular, exceeding the persistent calyx, 
its angles not margined. 
In dry fields and on hillsides throughout North 
America except the extreme north. In large part 
naturalized from Europe. Sometimes a trouble- 
some weed. Foliage very acid. Native also of 
Asia. Ascends to 6000 ft. in North Carolina. 
May-Sept. 
