CL. VIII.] OCTANDRIA TRIGYNIA. 189 



height of several feet : clusters loose, interrupted, leafy : flowers greenish- 

 white or reddish. Annual : flowers from June to October : grows in corn- 

 fields, gardens, and waste ground : common. Eng. Bot. vol. xiv. 

 pi. 941. Eng. Ft. vol. ii. p. 240. 613. 



8. P. dumetonum. Copse Buck-wheat. Leaves between heart-shaped 

 and arrow-shaped ; stem twining, striated ; segments of the calyx with a 

 membranous wing; fruit smooth and shining. Annual : flowers in Au- 

 gust and September : grows in hedges and by road-sides : rare. Near 

 London and Norwich : Sussex. Near Moffat, Dumfries-shire. Brit. Fl. 

 4th ed. p. 164. 614. 



** Styles usually two. 



9. P. amphibium. Amphibious Persicaria. Styles two, united half way 



up; stamens five; spike egg-shaped; leaves lance-shaped. Stem 



round, leafy : leaves stalked, floating, minutely serrate, smooth, slightly 

 heart-shaped at the base : flowers rose-red, in beautiful dense spikes. 

 When the plant grows out of the water, the leaves become narrower and 

 hairy, and the stem shorter. Perennial : flowers in July and August : 

 grows in ditches, ponds, and rivers : common. Eng. Bot. vol. vii. pi. 435. 

 Eng.Fl. vol.ii. p. 232. 615. 



10. P. Persicdria. Spotted Persicaria. Styles two, united half way up ; 



stamens six; spikes dense, oblong, erect; stipules fringed. Stem 



erect, branched, leafy : leaves lance-shaped, entire, shortly stalked, gene- 

 rally marked about the middle with a blackish spot : flowers rose- 

 coloured. Annual : flowers in July and August : grows in ditches and 

 wet fields : common. Eng. Bot. vol. xi. pi. 756. Eng. Fl. vol. ii. 

 p. 233. 616. 



11. P. lapathifdlium. Pale-flowered Persicaria. Styles two, distinct ; 



stamens six ; flower-stalks rough ; stipules not fringed. Stem about 



a foot high, branched, swelled above the joints : leaves broadly lance- 

 shaped, rough-edged, sometimes marked with a blackish spot : flowers 

 reddish or pale-green. Annual : flowers in July and August : grows in 

 cultivated ground and on dunghills : common. Eng. Bot. vol. xx. 

 pi. 1382. Eng. Fl. vol. ii. p. 234. 617. 



12. P. mite. Lax-flowered Persicaria. Styles two, united halfway 

 up ; stamens six ; clusters loose, filiform, drooping ; leaves lance-shaped. 



Flowers red. Differs from the following in wanting the glands of 



the flowers. Annual : flowers in August : grows in the south of Eng- 

 land. Brit. Fl. 4th ed. p. 165. 618. 



13. P. Hydropiper. Biting Persicaria. Styles two, united half way up ; 

 stamens six ; clusters loose, interrupted, drooping ; stem erect ; leaves 



lance-shaped, waved, without spots. Stem two feet high, swelled 



above each joint, smooth : clusters terminal, long and slender : flowers 

 pale-green. The whole plant has an acrid, burning taste, which is 

 supposed to reside in glandular dots sprinkled over it. Annual : flowers 

 in September : grows in ditches and pools : frequent. Eng. Bot. vol. xiv. 

 pi. 989. Eng.Fl. vol.ii. p. 235. 619. 



14. P. minus. Small Creeping Persicaria. Styles two, united ; sta- 

 mens six ; clusters loose, slender, nearly erect ; stem decumbent at tho 



base ; leaves between linear and lance-shaped. Stem about a foot 



high, branched at the base, swelled above each joint : flowers small, red- 



R 



