ORDEB 103. PHYTOLACCACE.E. 



joints naked; Ivs. cordate-hastate, acuminate, auricles acute; fls. in loose, pe- 

 dunculate racemes which are naked or leafy; cal. luith the 3 outer sep. acutely keeled 

 and winged on the back, closely covering the smooth, black achenium. QD Thickets, 

 Can. and U. S. St. 3 to 8 to 12f long, climbing over bushes, &c. Lvs. 2 to 3' by 

 1 to 2', petioles nearly as long. Wings of the calyx narrower than the fruit, 

 produced often at the apex. Jl. Sept. 



20 P. sagittatum L. SCRATCH GRASS. St. prostsate, rough-angled; Ivs. lan- 

 ceolate-sag itate ; fls. capitate ; sta. 8 ; sty. 3. 1). "Wet grounds, Can. and U. S. 

 A rough, climbing species, 2 to 5f in length. St. square, the angles very rough 

 with prickles pointing downwards. Lvs. acute, 2 to 3' long, a third as wide, 

 with straight auricles and smooth stipules. Fls. in small, terminal heads, 

 whitish. Jn. 



21 P. arifolium L. St. aculeate with reversed prickles ; Ivs. hastate, acuminate, 

 with divaricate, acuminate auricles'; spikes few-flowered; fls. distinct; stam. 6; 

 sty. 2. Wet grounds, Can. to Ga, and W. States. Distinguished from the last 

 by its larger, halbert-shaped leaves which are 2 to 4' long arid as wide. Petioles 

 \ to 1' long. Clusters racemous, slender, loose, few-flowered, at the ends of the 

 branches. Jn., Jl. 



8. FAGOPY'RUM, Tourn. BUCKWEAT. (Gr. 0ayof, German Bttdje, 

 Eng. the beech, nvpo^ wheat; beech-nut-wheat.) Calyx colored, 

 equally 5- parted, spreading, withering, not enlarged in fruit; stamens 

 8, with 8 nectariferous glands between ; styles 3 ; stigmas obtuse ; ache- 

 nia 3-angled, much exceeding the calyx. Herbs with cordate -hastate 

 Ivs., oblique sheaths and panicled rac. of white-roseate fls. 



F. esculeiitum Mcench. Erect, smoothish ; Ivs. cordate with obtuse lobes ; ach. 

 angles wingless, entire, the sides ovate-triangular. Old fields, sparingly natu- 

 ralized, cultivated. St. 2 to 4f high. Lvs. 2 to 4' long, half as wide. Fls. nu- 

 merous, very grateful to bees. Fruit black, a valuable grain, f Asia. 



ORDER CIII. PHYTOLACCACEyE. POKEWORTS. 



Herbs with alternate, entire leaves and perfect, 5 -parted, hypogynous flowers. 

 Calyx free. Stamens 5 to 30, alternate with the sepals when of the same number. 

 Ovary usually compound, of several carpels, each 1-ovuled cohering in a circle. 

 Styles and stigmas as many as carpels. Fruit baccate or samara-like. Seeds erect, 

 with the embryo coiled around the farinaceous albumen. 



Genera 20, species SO, scattered in sill parts of the world. Their properties arc purgative or 

 emetic, yet hitherto little used or understood. 



1. PHYTOLAC'CA, Tourn. POKE. GARGOT-WEED. (Gr. <j>vrov, a 

 plant, Lat. lacca, lac or lake ; from the juice of the berries.) Calyx 5- 

 parted, resembling a corolla ; stamens 5 to 25 ; styles and carpels 5 to 

 12 ; berry superior, depressed, globular, with as many seeds as styles. 

 Herbaceous. Rac. terminal, soon becoming opposite the leaves. 



P. decandra L. Lvs. ovate, acute at both ends; fls. with .10 stamens and 10 

 styles. If Roadsides, U. S. and Can., common. Root very large and branching. 

 St. with a diam. of 1 to 2', 5 to 8f high, round, smooth, branching, and when 

 mature of a fine, deep purple. Lvs. 5' by 2 to 3', smooth, of a rich green color, 

 entire and petioled. Rac. cylindric, long, at first terminal, becoming finally op- 

 posite the leaves. Fls. greenish- white. Fruit a dark purple berry, with juice- 

 staining a beautiful purple color. Jl. Sept. 



2. RIVI N NA, Plum. (Tn memory of A. Q. Rivinus, Prof, of Botany 

 atLeipzic.) Calyx 4-parted, 3-bracteolatc ; sepals equal, suberect in 

 fruit; stamens 4 or 8; ovary 1-celled, 1-styled, 1-ovuled, berry at 



