CLASS VIII. ORDER II.] POLYGONUM. 573 



lanceolate, petiolated; stipules hairy, the margins ciliated with long 

 hairs. 



Meyer in Chlor. Hanov. p. 475.— Koch. Flor. Germ. Helv. p. 618.— 

 P. laxiflorum, Weih. hot. ztg. p. 746.— De Cand. Flora Franciaise, 

 vol. iii. p. 55. 



Root fibrous. Stem erect, from one to two feet high, branched from 

 the base, round, smooth, enlarged about the joints. Leaves alternate, 

 lanceolate or ovate lanceolate, entire, tapering into a short smooth 

 channeled footstalk, a palish green, somewhat glaucous beneath, quite 

 smooth, or the margins and mid-rib on the under side rough, with a 

 few hairs, sheaths of the footstalk short, scattered over with hairs, and 

 crowned with a membranous stipule, fringed with a few long ciliated 

 hairs. Inflorescence of slender filiform pendulous terminal and lateral 

 spikes, of lax pink or whitish green flowers, quite smooth, as well as 

 the peduncles, each having at its base one or two pale membranous 

 ovate ciliated bracteas, the perianth of four deep oblong smooth seg- 

 ments, the two inner ones shorter than the other two. Stamens six, 

 shorter than the perianth, with simple filaments, bearing yellow ovate 

 anthers, the styles longer than the stamens, united half way up. 

 Fruit a small pale roundish ovate nut, somewhat compressed, or of 

 three obtuse angles. 



Habitat. — Damp boggy ground, near Lincoln. 



Annual ; flowering in July and August. 



It is with much pleasure that we are enabled to add another new 

 species to the list of our Flora. The slender Persicaria is nearly allied 

 to P. Persicaria in the habit and general appearance of the plant, but 

 is at once distinguished from that species by its slender pendulous lax 

 spikes of numerous but not crowded flowers ; and from P. Hydropiper 

 it is readily known not only by its spikes not being interrupted with the 

 flowers being placed at a distance, but they are quite smooth, and not 

 scattered over with glands, as are those of P. Hydropiper. 



Our specimens were collected in the summer of 1834 in boggy 

 meadows, on the right hand side of the river opposite the Lincoln 

 race course, and we have no doubt it will be found in other parts of the 

 country in similar situations. 



The synonyms above quoted are doubtless those of our plant, and 

 probably others may be added. 



7. P. Hydro' piper, Linn. (Fig. 653 ) Biting Persicaria. Spikes 

 slender, lax, filiform, pendulous, interrupted ; flowers hexandrous, 

 rough, with globose glands ; styles two, united half way up ; leaves 

 lanceolate, waved, and petiolated ; stipules nearly smooth, the margin 

 ciliated with short hairs. 



English Botany, t. 989.— English Flora, vol. ii. p. 235.— Hooker, 

 British Flora, vol. i. p. 186.— Lindley, Synopsis, p. 212. 



Root fibrous. Stem erect, from one to three feet high, round, 

 smooth, shining, of a reddish colour, branched from the base, some- 



4 F 



