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BUCKWHEAT FAMILY 



the bright, shining, Buckwheat-hke seeds are full of 

 food for the birds. They remain on the stems until 

 cold weather comes or the birds remove them. 



Very similar to Climbing False Buckwheat is Fringed 

 Black Bindweed, Polygonum cilindde, with very sim- 

 ilar leaves, which are, however, somewhat undulate at 

 margin and finely fringed with white hairs. The 

 stem is red, the same beautiful red we know in our 

 cultivated Buckwheat stems. Common in rocky 

 places, it often hugs the ground. This is the species 

 frequently found at the edge of a railway cut whose 

 long, glowing stems drip over the edge and lie in leafy 

 pendants, apparently enjoying the heat of sun and 

 earth. Its Buckwheat-like seeds are also very grateful 

 to the birds. 



There are several species in this False Buckwheat 

 group but these two are the ones most common by the 

 roadside. 



CURLED DOCK. CURLY DOCK 



Rumex crispus 



Rumex, the ancient Latin name; meaning unknown. 



Biennial. One of the earliest Docks to bloom; found in 

 fields and waste places throughout the entire north; 

 naturalized from Europe; a troublesome weed in cul- 

 tivated grounds. The tall, bushy, brown fruit-stalk is 

 in evidence on every roadway, one side or the other of 

 the fence. 



Root. — Strong, spindle-shaped, thick, yellow. 

 Stem. — Rather slender, erect, smooth, dark green, one 

 to three feet tall, leafy, few branches near the top. 



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