72 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



amongst clothes no moth will tonch them. Its bruised leaves arc still used in 

 villages insitcad of a mustard poultice, and they are put into the mouth to cure tooth- 

 ache. It is said to be a powerful diuretic, and a water distilled from it was formerly 

 used in some nephritic complaints. A decoction of this plant will dye wool of a 

 good yellow colour, if the material is first dipped in a solution of alum, 



SPECIES VIII.— P OLYGONUM MINUS. Uuds. 

 Plate MCCXXXV. 

 Billot, Fl, GaU, et Germ, Exsicc. No. 2358. 



Annual. Stem commonly geniculate and rooting at the base, then 

 erect and ascending, slightly smaller at the nodes, branched. Leaves 

 subscssile, narrowly-lanceolate or ellii:)tical-strapshaped or strajishaped. 

 OchreaB rather tight, all ciliated with long and short weak bristles. 

 Racemes spike-like, solitary at the extremity of the stem and branches, 

 racemosely or racemoso-paniculately arranged, rather short, slender, 

 lax, interrupted and leafy at the base, continuous and leafless at the 

 apex, straight, erect or ascending. Pedicels about as long as the nut, 

 articulated immediately beneath the perianth, without glands. Perianth 

 coloured, sprinkled with very minute pale glands towards the base 

 only, without prominent veins. Stamens 5. Styles 2 or 3, combined 

 half-way up. Nut of the 2-styled flowers ovate, plano-convex, nearly 

 smooth, shining; those of the 3-styled flowers bluntly trigonous. 

 Leaves destitute of superficial glands, ochrea3 glabrous, except at the 

 base. Plant insipid. 



In marshes and wet places, especially in shallow drains. Rather 

 scarce and local, but generally distributed throughout England. In 

 Scotland apparently confined to Locliar Moss, Dumfries. Generally 

 distributed, but rare in Ireland. 



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



Stem 3 to 18 mches long, usually more or less decumbent, branched, 

 principally from the base, as in P. Hydropiper. Leaves much narrower 

 than in that species, with scarcely any stalk, and with the broadest 

 part a little nearer the middle of the leaf; the longest 1 to 2 inches long, 

 bristly-serrulate, as in the preceding species. Ochrea? rather small, 

 membranous, the floral ones ciliated like the lower ones and often 

 purple. Perianth J- inch long, white or rose. Nut i\j inch long, and 

 consequently much smaller than that of P. Hydropiper, from which 

 it also diff'ers in being shining, and scarcely at all shagreened. Plant 

 pale green. The perianths and ochrea? are usually described as destitute 

 of glands ; but in all the recent specimens I have examined I have 

 found on their base numerous very minute pale meal-like glands ; there 



