378 



POL 



THE UNIVERSAL HERBAL; 



POL 



as if ruffled. The seeds were first sent to Europe by Tourne- 

 fort, who saw it growing in the prince of Teflis's garden in 

 Georgia, and afterwards in the garden of the monks of the 

 Three Churches near Mount Ararat, where the plant is culti- 

 vated not only for the beauty of the flowers, but for its medi- 

 cinal virtues, which are the same with those attributed toonr 

 common species. There is a dwarf variety of it, and another 

 with while flowers ; it has also been observed by Linneus to 

 vary in point of hairiness, the Levant variety being less hairy 

 than that from the East Indies. It flowers from July to 

 October, or till the frost in autumn comes on, soon after 

 which the plant decays and dies. It will rise from scattered 

 seeds much better than from those which are regularly sown ; 

 but where the seeds must be sown, it should be soon after 

 they are ripe in autumn. If sown in spring, they rarely suc- 

 ceed; and even if some plants do come up, those never grow 

 so strong. In the spring, transplant those planted in autumn 

 into the borders of the plantation or flower-garden, giving 

 them room. At the beginning of July prune off the side- 

 shoots, to make them advance in height, and preserve them 

 within compass, and when they are pruned up to five or six 

 feet, they may then be permitted to shoot out side-branches. 

 It delights in a rich moist soil, and is distinguished no less 

 for its superior stature than for the brilliancy of its flowers : 

 it will frequently grow to the height of eight or ten feet, and 

 become a rival to the Sun-flower. It is commonly, but inju- 

 diciously, sown in the spring with other annuals, thinning the 

 seedlings when they appear, so as to stand a foot apart. It 

 requires very little care, and will bear the air of London better 

 than most other plants. 



16. Polygonum Pennsylvanicum ; Pennsylvanian Persi- 

 caria. Flowers octandrous, digynous ; peduncles hispid ; 

 leaves lanceolate ; stipules awnless. This has the appearance 

 and habit of the eleventh species, but all the parts are larger 

 and stiffer. Native of Pennsylvania. 



'* Polygona, with undivided Leaves, and octandrous Flowers. 



17. Polygonum Maritimum ; Sea Polygonum, or Knot- 

 grass. Flowers octandrous, trigynous, axillary ; leaves oval- 

 lanceolate, evergreen; stem suffrutescent. This is not the 

 English Knot-grass, which is a variety of the next species. 

 Native of the sandy coasts of the Mediterranean Sea; also of 

 the Levant. About the solstice, bladders full of red juice 

 grow upon it, which produce an elegant red dye. 



18. Polygonum Aviculare ; Common Knot-grass. Flowers 

 axillary ; leaves elliptic-lanceolate, rugged at the edge ; 

 nerves of the stipules remote; stem procumbent, herbaceous. 

 Root annual, branched, somewhat woody, taking strong hold 

 of the earth, of an astringent taste. The clusters of axillary 

 flowers are ped uncled, two or three together : they are 

 small, but not inelegant, variegated with white, green, and 

 blood-red. Meyrick says, that this Grass possesses a consi- 

 derable degree of astringency, which renders it an excellent 

 medicine in loosenesses, attended with a discharge of blood, 

 the bleeding piles, immoderate menstrual evacuations, and 

 all other hsemorrhages. The juice is good to cleanse old 

 filthy ulcers, and takes away pain and inflammation from the 

 eyes. In the present practice however this is justly super- 

 seded by more efficacious medicines. This plant obtains its 

 generic name from the abundance of knots on the ste-m; the 

 trivial name avicularc, from the gratefulness of its seed to 

 small birds. The English appellation Knot-grass, has arisen, 

 first, from the knottiness of the stem ; and second, because, 

 having been eaten by cattle, like many other plants, it has 

 been called a Grass, though bearing no resemblance to real 

 Grasses. Hogs eat it with great avidity, and hence it is 



known in many countries by the name of Hogweed; in fact 

 all granivorous domestic quadrupeds eat it, and the seeds 

 are useful for every purpose in which those of Buckwheat 

 are employed. This is one of our commonest plants, espe- 

 cially in a sandy or gravelly soil, on banks by paths, and in 

 corn-fields ; it frequently covers much ground, where the 

 natural grass has been destroyed. Where it grows singly in 

 a rich or newly thrown up soil, a single plant will often cover 

 the space of a yard or more ; and the leaves are then broad 

 and large, but when it grows very thick together, it is in 

 every respect smaller. On our sandy coasts it is found with 

 large oval thick leaves, but not perennial. 



19. Polygonum Erectum; Upright Polygonum. Flowers 

 axillary ; leaves oval ; stem erect, herbaceous. Native of 

 Philadelphia, in North America. 



20. Polygonum Articulatum ; Jointed-spike Polygonum. 

 Spikes jointed, panicled ; stipules sheathing, truncated; root 

 annual, small, fibrous; stem a foot high, with alternate 

 branches towards the top, subdivided into a flowering panicle. 

 Native of Canada. 



21. Polygonum Divaricatum ; Divaricated Polygonum. 

 Flowers racemed; leaves lanceolate, smooth; stem divaricat- 

 ed, patulous. Root perennial, creeping, composed of many 

 strong woody fibres; stems about three feet high, divided into 

 many confused branches, which are generally bent at each 

 joint; leaves clustered, stalked; flowers large, uniformly 

 white. This beautiful species is a native of Siberia, Switzer- 

 land, Corsica, Dauphiny, and Piedmont, if we may suppose 

 different authors mean the same plant, though there is great 

 hazard of their not coinciding exactly. 



22. Polygonum Undulatum ; Wave-leaved Polygonum. 

 Flowers racemed; leaves lanceolate, acuminate, waved. 

 This very much resembles the preceding. Perennial, and a 

 native of Siberia. 



23. Polygonum Serratum ; Notch- leaved Polygonum. 

 Leaves crenate. Native of Barbary. 



***** Helxine, with subcordate Leaves. 



24. Polygonum Chinensis ; Chinese Polygonum. Flowers 

 octandrous, trigynous ; peduncles rugged ; leaves ovate ; 

 bractes cordate; stem four-cornered, smooth, even, grooved, 

 decumbent. Native of the East Indies, China, and Japan. 

 In the two latter countries it is cultivated for dyeing, and 

 produces a beautiful blue colour much like that from Indigo. 

 The leaves are dried, then pounded, and made into small 

 cakes; with these it is said they dye linen, silk, and cotton. 

 When they boil them for use, they add ashes : the stronger 

 the decoction is made, the darker is the blue colour obtained; 

 and the weaker the decoction, the lighter the colour. 



25. Polygonum Sagittatum ; Prickly Polygonum. Leaves 

 sagittate ; stem prickly ; branches alternate, four-cornered, 

 the corners sharp, prickly backwards, smooth, almost upright, 

 a foot long. Linneus observes, that it sometimes climbs up 

 shrubs. Native of North America, Siberia, and Japan. 



26. Polygonum Arifolium ; Arum-leaved Polygonum. 

 Leaves hastate ; stem prickly ; flowers on the branches 

 entirely aggregate; stigmas globular; seeds smooth and even, 

 with the angles entire. Native of Virginia, Florida, and 

 Japan. 



27. Polygonum Crassifolram ; Thick-leaved Polygonum. 

 Flowers octandrous, trigynous ; leaves hastate, fleshy ; stem 

 decumbent, unarmed. This is a smallish plant, scarce more 

 than a span long. Native place uncertain. 



28. Polygonum Perfohatum ; Perfoliate Polyganum. 

 Leaves triangular; stem prickly; stipules perfoliate, leafy, 

 spreading, roundish. Native place uncertain. 



