700 



POLYGONACE^. (BUCKWHEAT FAMILY.) 



to entii-e. Racemes axillary and terminal, leafless, loose; pedicels 

 capillary; valves membranous, reticulate, reniform to cordate-ovate, 

 .005 to .01 long, often deep red; scale oblong — Spring — Sands ; 

 coast and southern deserts. 



14, R, vesicarius, L. Eanleit. Ilammad. Bummcid. 

 ,1 to ,3, glabrous, branching from neck. ' Leaves siibcordate or sub- 

 hastate at base, ovate to deltoid. Racemes simple or panicled; flowers 

 often twin; valves cordate-ovate, .015 long, membranous, reticulated, 

 margin (in type) 7iot bordered by a nerve — Spring — Sands and rocks of 

 coast; and southern deserts; Tiberias; Dead Sea. 



15, _R. ro§eu§, L. © would seem to be a variety of the forego- 

 ing species with oblong -deltoid to lanceolate leaves, and valves bordered 

 ^2/ « y^er^jg —Judean Desert ; Galilee; Sinai ; Damascus. 



16, R, aeetoselloldeif, Ball. 2|; .3 to .5; stems erect or 

 ascending, ending in a flexuou^ panicle. Leaves petioled, hastate-tri- 

 2Mrtite, the middle lobe oblong-lanceolate, larger than the linear, un- 

 divided or more or less parted lateral lobes. " Whorls few-flowered, 

 loose; flowers .0015 long; valves ovate, obtuse, appressed to fruit but 

 free from it, thrice as long as outer leaves of perigonium — Summer — 

 Old fields and sandy places: Lebanon; Amanus; Akher Dagh, and 

 northward. 



6. ATRAPHAXI85 L. Atraphaxis. 



Flowers perfect. Perigonium petaloid, 4-5 -parted, leaves im- 

 bricated, the outer unchanged, the inner growing in fruit, appressed 

 to akene. Stamens 6-8, filaments dilated at base, inserted at bottom 

 of perigonium. Styles 2-3. Ovary lenticular or triquetrous, with 

 crustaceous pericarp. Seed filling the cell, of the same shape, erect. 

 Embryo incumbent in angle of albumen, radicle superior, cotyledons 

 linear — Shrubs, often spinescent. 



* * Perigonium ^-meroiis. Stamens 6. Stigmas 2. Ahene lenticular, 



1. A, spliiosa, L. 5 -^ to .5. Leaves elliptical - rhombic to 

 cordate-orbicular, .005 to .003 long. Outer two leaves of perigonium 

 ovate-orbicular, reflexed, inner two cordate- to reniform-orbicular, .005 

 long — May and June. 



Var. typica, Boiss. Greenish. Leaves elliptical to oblong — 

 Aintab, and northward. 



Var. glauca, Boiss. Glaucous. 

 Syrian Desert. 



Var. Siiiaica, Boiss. Suweid. 

 long, round-ovate — Sinai. 



* "^ Perigojimm 5-merous. Stamens 8. 



Leaves ovate to oMonsr — 



Sawds. Leaves .003 to .004 



2. A. Billardieri, Jaub. et Sp. 



5 .3 to .5. Leaves ovate to oblong, 

 obtuse and acute, .003 to .007 long. 

 Outer two leaves of perigonium ovate, 

 deflexed, inner 3-2, cordate-reniform, 

 .01 broad ~ Summer — Subal pine and 

 alpine Lebanon and Antilebanon, and 

 Damascus plateau. 



Stigmas 3. AJceiie triquetrous. 

 Fig. 320. 



Fruiting 



raceme of 

 Billardieri, 



Atraphaxis 



