A DIKE. URTICACEiE. 223 



3. ADIKE. Raf. newfl. N. Am. p. 63. RICHWBED. 



AoiCEi, Raf. Specie* of Urtica, aua. 

 ["An ancient Greek name of some nettles." Rap.] 

 Flowers dioecious, or somewhat monoecious. Calyx 3- (rarely 4-) sepalled : sepals nearly 

 equal, oblong or lanceolate. Sterile fl. Stamens 3. Rudimentary ovary wanting. Fbrt. 

 FL. Sepals with a petaloid cucuUate scale at the base of each inside, membranaceous in 

 fruit. Ovary ovate, compressed : stigma minute, capitate, sessile. Achenium minutely 

 papillose, straight. — Smooth annual herbs, with opposite ovate 3-nerved leaves, and the 

 flowers in axillary clusters. 



1. Adike pumila, Raf. (Plate CXXII.) Richweed. Coolweed. 



Raf. new fl,. N. Am. p. 63. Urtica pumila, Linn. sp. 2. p. 984; Michx. fl. 2. p. 178; 

 Pursh, fl. 1. p. 112; Ell. sk. 2. p. 569; Bigel. fl. Boat. p. 341; Beck, hot. p. 314; 

 Darlingt. fl. Cest. p. 523. Adike glaberrima, lanceolata & rhomboide, Raf. I. c. Adicea 

 pumila, trinerva, etc., Raf. in herb. Torr. 



Stem 3-18 inches high, simple or branching from the base, smooth, succulent and trans- 

 lucent, obtusely 4-angled. Leaves 1-3 inches long, varying from broadly ovate to ovate- 

 lanceolate, acuminate, crenate-serrate. Smooth, or only sprinkled with short appressed 

 hairs : petiole 1-2 inches long. Flowers very small, greenish, in axillary corymbose clusters 

 which are shorter than the petioles ; the sterile and fertile often intermixed. Sepals of the 

 sterile flower oblong, concave ; of the fertile, lanceolate, erect ; the scale on the inside of each 

 oblong, finally involute. Achenium roughened with minute dots, acutish, tipped with the 

 minute stigma. 



Moist shady places, particularly in cool ravines : extremely variable in size. Common. 

 Fl. June - July. Fr. September. This species differs so much from the common stinging 

 nettles, that Rafinesque long ago proposed it as a separate genus. In some places it is known 

 by the name of Clearweed, from the semitransparency of its stems. 



4. BCEHMERIA. Jacq. Amer. t. 157. false NETTLE. 



[Named after Georoe Rudolph Bcehmeb, a German botanist.] 

 Flowers monoecious or dicecious, minute. Sterile. Calyx 4- (sometimes 5-) parted. Stamens 

 4, rarely 5. Rudimentary ovary roundish, minute. Fertile. Calyx lubular-ventricose, 

 surrounding the ovary, the orifice somewhat 4-toothed or entire. Ovary ovate, compressed : 

 style subulate : stigma unilateral. Achenium ovate, pointed with the subulate style, 

 covered with the membranaceous or baccate calyx.— Herbs, or (in tropical climates) shrubby 

 plants, with opposite or alternate leaves and flowers in axillary glomerate elongated spikes. 



