446 Bicknell: Ferns and flowering plants of Nantucket 



and less prominently striate and angled; leaves small, O.5-15 i^^J^- 

 long, 1-3 mm. wide, numerous, often crowded, thickish, linear to 

 linear-oblong or lanceolate-linear, narrowed to base and apex, veiy 

 short-petioled or subsessile, mostly acute, distinctly veined on the 

 lower surface, the margins more or less revolute ; ochreae mostly 

 acute, longer, closer, and more firmly lacerate than in P. biixifonne^ 

 becoming darker and more purplish-brown ; flowers rather smaller 

 and narrower than in P. buxiforme and less closely clustered, mostly 

 1.5-2 mm. long, greenish and white or slightly purplish-tinged; 

 achcne included, commonly rather smaller and narrower than in 

 P, buxiforme and lighter brown, unevenly trigonous or sublenticular, 

 somewhat contracted towards the top, rugulose-striate. 



Nearly related to P. buxiforme, differing in more slender, less 

 sharply angled stems, narrower, more acute revolute leaves, some- 

 what longer ochreae with narrower more attenuate final divisions, 

 often smaller flowers and mostly narrower paler brown achenes. 

 It is frequent on Nantucket in the same situations as P. buxiforme. 

 It is also common on Long Island. 



The original description of P, provinciale appears to justify the 

 adoption of the name for the plant here discussed. 



* Polygonum neglectum Besser, Enum. PL Vol. 45. 1822. 



P. avictilare var. laxum Ledeb. Fl. Ross. 3 : 532. 1849. 



P. avictilare var. latifolium C. Koch, Linnaea 22 : 204, 1849. 



(Probably, — not P. avicidare var. latifolium Michx.) 

 /*, avictilare var. angustifoliuni C. Koch, loc, cit. (Probably.) 

 P, avictilare var. tenuissitmim C. Koch, loc, cit, 

 P. avictilare var. angustissimum Meisner in DC. Prod. 14 : 98. 



1856. 



P, avictilare var. neglectum Aschers. Fl. Brandenb. 51. 1864. 



A characteristic knotweed of Nantucket, growing in sand or 

 sandy soil especially about some of the south shore ponds and 

 along the borders of salt marshes. 



The name Polygotium neglectum Besser is adopted for this 

 knotweed by authority of the exact fitness of the original descrip- 

 tion of the species to the prevailing form of the Nantucket plant. 

 While therefore it can scarcely be doubted that the name is cor- 

 recdy taken up, so widely divergent are extreme forms of the plant 

 that only the broadest application of the name will embrace the 

 species as a whole. It is quite possible, however, that certain of 



