POLYGONACEiE. 51 



abrupt or gradually attenuated at the base, subacute, repand, and 

 rather strongly crisped at the margins; petioles semicylindrical, flat 

 above, with a prominent margin on each side decurrent from the base of 

 the lamina ; lower stem leaves similar to the radical ones, but narrower, 

 on shorter stalks, and more acute ; leaves at the base of the whorls 

 strapshaped-elliptical, subsessile. Branches of the panicle erect, leafless, 

 except at the base. Pedicels slender, not much longer than the fruit 

 petals, articulated a little below the middle, spreading nearly all round 

 the stem. Flowers perfect. Enlarged petals in fruit deltoid-orbicular, 

 deeply cordate at the base, obtuse, entire or faintly denticulate, rather 

 faintly reticulated ; one of the two lower ones considerably smaller 

 than the upper one, and all three with the midrib merely slightly 

 thickened, not raised into a distinct tubercle. 



In wet meadows and by the side of streams and ditches, also by 

 roadsides and in cultivated fields. Kather common, and generally 

 distributed throughout Scotland and the north of England, but not 

 known to occur south of Yorkshire. 



England, Scotland. Perennial. Late Summer, Autumn. 



R. domesticus is probably often confounded with R. crispus, but 

 the radical leaves are much larger, 6 to 15 inches long, and much 

 broader in proportion, and also not so much crisped. The branches 

 of the panicle are usually more densely flowered. The pedicels are 

 shorter in proportion to the fruit petals, and articulated nearer to the 

 middle. The fruit petals are much larger, ^ to ^ inch long, rounder, 

 more cordate, of a more membranous texture, and without any evident 

 tubercle, although the midrib is sometimes raised at the base so as to 

 form the rudiment of one. The nut is narrower, the faces being 

 ovate instead of roundish-ovate, and it is a little larger than that of 

 R. crispus. The plant is hardly ever tinged with red, the fruit petals 

 remain of a pale olive, and when fully ripe become tinged with pale 

 dull brown. 



The panicle is more compact and fusiform in R. domesticus than 

 in any of the British Rumices except R. alpinus. 



Grainless Curled Dock. 



French, Patience domestique. German, Saxis-Amffer. 



SPECIES XI.— RUM EX H YDROL A PI T HUM. Ends. 



Plate MCCXX. 

 R. aquaticus, 8m. Engl. Bot. No. 2104 (non Linn.). 



Leaves subcoriaceous, the radical ones elliptical or elliptical-oblanceo- 

 late, gradually attenuated at the base, and insensibly decurrent into flat 



u 2 



