Wild Flowers East of the Rockies 103 



BUCKWHEAT FAMILY (Polygonaceae). 



This family contains a great variety and great 

 number of species. It is divided into seven genera 

 and many of these are further divided. They are all 

 inconspicuous in flower and most of them are regard- 

 ed as obnoxious weeds. The genus Rumex, to which 

 our common Sorrels belong, contains seventeen spe- 

 cies: that of Polygonum, which contains the Knot- 

 weeds, has 32 species included in its six sub-genera. 

 The scope and size of this book prevents even men- 

 tion of the majority of these, so we have selected 

 types most common, most conspicuous and most in- 

 teresting. 



FIELD or SHEEP SORREL (Rumex acetosella has 

 dioecious flowers, that is staminate and pistillate 

 ones grow on different plants. They are tiny, per- 

 fect, greenish at first but later turning dark red, on 

 branching spikes. The leaves are arrow-shaped, on 

 slender petioles from the base, but smaller ones al- 

 ternate along the plant stem that grows from 6 to 

 12 in. high; they are very acrid to the taste and usual- 

 ly turn reddish as the season advances, especially if 

 in a dry locality. It is very common and a trouble- 

 some weed everywhere. 



LADY'S THUMB; PERSICARIA; KNOTGRASS 

 (Polygonum persicaria) (EUROPEAN). This is a 

 very common weed everywhere in damp places, es- 

 pecially about farm houses. The small, crimson-pink 

 flowers are in dense spikes terminating the branching 

 stems that are from 1 to 3 feet high. The lanceolate, 

 pointed leaves, that alternate along the angled and 

 sheathed stem, are rather rough and usually have a 

 dark triangular spot in the middle. 



COMMON SMARTWEED; WATER PEPPER (P. 

 hydropiper) has similar shaped flowers of a greenish 

 color. The leaves are lanceolate and very acrid. It 

 is very abundant in wet places throughout our range. 



