111. POLYGONACEJE. [1. Polygonum. 



superior, 1-ovuled, stigmas usually sessile and recurved. Ovules 

 amphitropous or campylotropous. Ripe carpels baccate or utricular, 

 nutlike or samaroid. Seeds erect, often arillate with fleshy or floury 

 albumen and peripheral embryo usually annular. Cotyledons 

 narrow and flat or broad and unequal with the outer embracing the 

 inner, or foliaceous and convolute. 



1. RIVINA, Plum. 

 Shrubs or undershrubs with entire or faintly crenulate penninerved 

 leaves with minute deciduous stipules, and small 4-merous her- 

 maphrodite flowers in simple terminal racemes finally becoming leaf- 

 opposed or extra axillary. Perianth 4-partite, segments sub-petaloid, 

 equal. Stamens 4 or 8 subhypogynous, 4 exterior alternate with the 

 tepals. Ovary 1-carpellary, unilocular. Style elongate, sublateral 

 or 0. Stigma capitate or penicillate. Fruit baccate, subglobose. 

 Embryo annular. Cotyledons unequal, conduplicate with their edges 

 involute, obscurely 3-nerved. 



1. R. laevis, L, Incl. R. humilis, L. 



A pretty bushy undershrub with sulcate glabrous or pubescent 

 branches, ovate acuminate entire or subcrenulate glabrous or pubescent 

 leaves 1-4" long and small rosy-white flowers in racemes longer than 

 the leaves. Tepals obovate or elliptic-obovate, longitudinally venose. 

 Berries bright scarlet, compressed globose. Seed rugosely pitted. 



Frequent in gardens and sometimes self-sown ! Native of America. 



FAM. HI. POLYGONACEJE. 



Herbs, rarely shrubs with alternate, rarely opposite, simple entire 

 or serrulate, very rarely lobed, leaves, often gland-dotted and with 

 stipules usually sheathing the stem (ochreate) and often membranous. 

 Flowers usually 2 -sexual, jointed on the pedicel, usually clustered 

 with the clusters often spicate or panicled. Perianth green or coloured 

 of 3-6 free or connate persistent tepals, imbricate in bud. Stamens 

 5-8, rarely more or fewer, opposite the tepals. Disc, if present, 

 annular or glandular. Ovary free, superior, 2-3-gonous with 1-3 

 styles, stigmas various. Ovule 1 basal, orthotropous. Fruit a nut, 

 usually enclosed in the perianth which may be accrescent. Seed 

 erect with membranous testa and floury or horny albumen. Embryo 

 various, radicle superior. 



A. Herbs or sometimes suft'ruticose below, ochrese large :— 



Fls. acyclic. Perianth 3-5-meroiis. Stamens 1-8 . . 1. Polygonum. 

 Fls. cyclic, each whorl 3-merous. Stamens 6 ... 2. Rumex. 



B. Shrubs, erect or climbing by tendrils. Ochreae small: — 



Climber with white or pink perianth, dry in fruit . . 3. Antigonon. 



Erect with flattened branches. Perianth fleshy in fruit . -1. Muehlenbeckia. 



1. POLYGONUM, L, 



Herbs, rarely suffruticose with alternate entire, rarely lobed leaves 

 and tubular membranous stipules. Flowers small or minute, shortly 



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