111. POLYGONACE^. [2. Rumbx, 



cate pubescent and slightly glandular panicles. Bracts scarious, open 

 and shortly tubular, glabrous, acute. Fruiting perianth often fleshy. 

 Purneah, in cool damp localities! Parasnath, scramblinsr amongr rocks f 

 Meghasaiii, elev. 4000 ft. in shady places ! Fl., Fr. Nov.-Jan. 



The plant is very variable and two varieties occur in our area : — 



Var. a chinense proper. 



Branchlets glalDrous except near the nodes. Leaves deltoidl3'-oblong', mostly 

 l-::5". larger 4-7" by 2-2". membranous, acute or acuminate, base straiorht except 

 for a short wedsre' on the petiole, membranous, pellucid-dotted, midrib beneath 

 hairy. Petiole "S--7o" Ion?, basal auricles unequal, often -4" broad. Panicles 

 pubescent and glandular. 



Purneah ! 



Var. /3 ovalifolia, Meissu. 



Branchlets glabrous. Leaves large, ovate acuminate, cuneate on one or both 

 sides of the base. 4-6" by 2-.3", margin sometimes ciliolate, otherwise glaV)rous. 

 Petiole -5-1", auricles small or 0. Stipules over 1" long, but the upper half or more 

 breaking oil, base often glandular. Peduncles glandular-hispid. 



This is the mountain form, occurring only at elevations of over 3000 ft. in the 

 Central and Southern Areas. 



2. RUMEX, L. Dock. 

 Herbs, usually perennial with stout roots. Radical leaves usually 

 large. Stipules tubular, often disappearing Avith age. Flowers 

 1-2 -sexual, in panicled or raeemed whorls, rarely axillary clusters. 

 Tepals 6 in two series, inner enlarging entire or toothed and often 

 with a tubercle on the midrib in fruit. Stamens 6, anthers basifixed. 

 Ovary 3-gonous, styles 3, stigmas fimbriate. Nut included in the 

 accrescent inner tepals, 3-angled. Embryo lateral, nearly straight ;: 

 cotyledons linear or oblong. 



A. Styles terminal. Flowers 2-sexual. Inner fruiting tepals 



coriaceous : — 



1. Inner fruiting tepals not broadly alate, not much toothed :— 



L. narrowed into the petiole, lanceolate 1. maritimui. 



L. contracted above the cordate base, linear-oblong . . 2. vigrieaiis. 



2. Inner fruiting tepals broadly alate, wings irregularly toothed 3. denfafu». 



B. Styles on the angles of the ovary. Flowers polj-gamous : — 

 Inner fruiting sepals membranous, orbicular, reticulate, 2-lobed 



each end, not tubercled 4. ve»icarius. 



1. R. maritimus, L. Golden Dock. 



A stout erect annual 1-4 ft. high with angled and deeply grooved 

 stems, lanceolate leaves 3-10" long with the base always narrowed 

 into the slender petiole. Flowers green, j^ellow-brown in fruit, in 

 few-many-fld. whorls in a leafy panicle. Fruiting tepals, inner -V, 

 rhombic- or oblong-ovate erect, with a lanceolate tip and a large 

 oblong tubercle on the midrib, leaving onlj- a narrow margin, teeth 

 when present long needle-like, several times as long as the tubercle 

 with the tip sometimes hooked. 



Marshes. Banks of the Ganges, Santal Parg., Kurz ! Fl., Fr. c.s.-h.s. 



This plant occurs in Europe. My English specimens have the racemes very 

 dense with the whorls confluent and the acicular teeth are much more numerous.- 

 The panicle as in the Indian one has many very narrow leaves nearly to the top. 



Lower leaves often oblong-lanceolate 12" by 2"5", waved, petiole 2", upper 

 graduallj^ smaller, becoming linear. 



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