58 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



On (lamp rocky ledges and by the sides of streams in mountainous 

 districts, sometimes descending along the course of rivers into the low 

 countries, but only when the source of the river lies in mountainous 

 districts. Not uncommon in North Wales and the mountainous portion 

 of the north of England. jMore frequent in the higher hills in the 

 south of Scotland, and the Scotch Highlands, extending to the Hebrides 

 and Orkney, though not recorded from Shetland. Kare in Ireland; 

 found on the mountains in the south and west of that country. 



England, Scotland, Ireland. Perennial. Late Summer, Autumn. 



Rootstock somewhat woody, many-headed, so that the plant often 

 grows in dense tufts. Radical leaves on very long petioles; the lamina 

 roundish-rcniform or subdeltoid-reniform, cordate or subhastate, rounded 

 or retuse at the apex, entire or repand, and somewhat crisped at 

 the margins, palmately veined, bearing some resemblance to the leaves 

 of the Swiss Rumex nivalis, but on larger petioles, the lamina 1 to 

 3 inches across. Stem 4 to 18 inches high, nearly simple up to 

 the panicle, leafless or with a leaf at the base of the first branch of the 

 panicle. This leaf resembles the radical leaves, but is smaller, and 

 with a shorter petiole. Panicle occupying the upper half of the stem, 

 rather lax, slender ; tbe branches with brown scarious entire ochreaa 

 at the base, leafless ; fascicles 2 to 6-flowered. Pedicels very slender, 

 about half as long again as the nut, jointed about the middle, thickened 

 at the apex. Sepals 2, somewhat refiexed. Enlarged petals spathulate, 

 -I inch long, somewhat coloured, with 3 to 5 diverging ribs, shorter 

 than the wing of the nut. Nut surrounded by an orbicular wing which 

 is as broad as the seed-cavity, and cordate or subtruncate at the base, 

 with a notch with approximate sides at the apex extending through 

 the wing do^vn nearly to the body of the achene ; the substance of the 

 wing membranous, marked with radiating anastomosing veins, olive, 

 usufdly with a crimson margin; the seed -cavity of the nut oval- 

 lenticular, with a furrow on each side of the medial line. Plant 

 rather dull green, often tinged with reddish in autumn, glabrous. 



Kidney -shaped Mountain Sorrel. 



GENUS IIL^V OLYGONUM. Linn. 



Flowers perfect, rarely polygamous by abortion. Perianth coloured, 

 rarely herbaceous, 5-cleft or 5-partite, rarely 4- cleft; segments slightly 

 unequal, and generally increasing in- size and covering the fruit. 

 Stamens 5, 6, or 8, rarely 4 or 9, when 5 opposite to the perianth 

 segments; anthers versatile, movable. Glands perigynous, or more- 

 rarely hypogynous, alternate with the stamens, more rarely absent. 

 Styles' 2 or 3, generally more or less united at the base, sometimes 



