rOLYGONACETE. b6 



Ochreai truncate, not fringed. Flowers in lateral fascicles of 3 to 6, 

 combined into terminal and axillary simple interrupted spikelike 

 racemes, leafy at the base. Pedicels recurved, longer than the nut, 

 articulated near the middle. Perianth herbaceous, smooth, 5-partite, 

 enlarged in fruit, when the 3 outer segments are furnished with broad 

 scarious wings longly decurrent upon the pedicels. Stamens 8. Styles 

 3, united for the greater part of their length. Nut oval-triquetrous, 

 nearly smooth, shining, black. Plant not glandular. 



In hedges and thickets. Rare, and uncertain in its appearance. It 

 has occurred in Somerset, Hants, Sussex, Surrey, Herts, and Mon- 

 mouth, but Surrey seems to be its headquarters in Britain. 



England. Amiual. Late Summer, Autumn. 



Very similar to P. Convolvulus, but a taller plant, generally 3 or 4 

 feet high, with more wiry stems, which have not raised lines upon 

 them as in P. Convolvulus. The racemes are longer and the panicle 

 is larger. The greatest difference, however, lies in the longer pedicels 

 and the broad white scarious wing on the back of each of the 3 

 outer perianth segments : this wing is decurrent on the petiole, and 

 gradually narrowed downwards, until it disappears altogether. The 

 nut too is rather smaller than in P. Convolvulus, shining, and highly 

 polished, instead of rough and opaque. 



The variety 3 of P. Convolvulus approaches very closely to P. 

 dumetorum in its winged perianth segments, but agrees with the 

 typical P. Convolvulus in the angular stems and opaque nut. 



Copse Buckwheat. 



French, Eenouee des huissons. GermaB, HecJcen-Knoterich. 



Section III.-AYICULARIA- Meisn. . 



Stem branched, decumbent or more rarely erect. Leaves oblong- 

 oval or elliptical, or strapshaped, not cordate or hastate. Flowers 

 in axillary fascicles forming interrupted spikes or spikelike racemes. 

 Perianth scarcely accrescent. Stamens 8, very rarely 5 or 6. Styles 3, 

 very rarely 2. Embryo lateral; cotyledons narrow, foliaceous, flat. 



SPECIES IV.— POLYGONUM AVICULARE. Linn. 



Plates MCCXXEX. MCCXXX. MCCXXXI. 



Annual. Stem ascending or decumbent or prostrate, much branched. 

 Leaves shortly stalked or the upper ones sessile, rather thin, flat, oval 

 or oval-obovate or oblong or elliptical or strapshaped, attenuated at 

 the base, obtuse or acute, entire, -with the nerves indistinctly raised 



