CL. VIII* ] OCTANDRIA TKIGYNIA. 189 



twining to the height of several feet : clusters loose, interrupted, 

 leafy : flowers greenish- white or reddish. Annual : flowers from 

 June to October ; grows in corn-fields, gardens, and waste ground : 

 common. Eng. Bot. vol. xiv. pi. 941. Eng. Fl. vol. ii. p. 240. 613. 



8. P. dumetonum. Copse Buck-icheat. Leaves between heart- 

 shaped and arrow-shaped ; stem twining, striated ; segments of 



the calyx with a membranous wing ; fruit smooth and shining. 



Annual : flowers in August and September : grows in hedges and 

 by road-sides : rare. Near London and Norwich : Sussex. Near 

 Moffat, Dumfries-shire. Brit. FL 4th ed. p. 164. 614. 



** Styles usually two. 



9. P. amphibium. Amphibious Persicaria. Styles two, united half 

 way up ; stamens five ; spike egg-shaped ; leaves lance-shaped. 



Stem round, leafy : leaves stalked, floating, minutely serrate, 

 smooth, slightly heart-shaped at the base : flowers rose-red, in 

 beautiful dense spikes. When the plant grows out of the water, 

 the leaves become narrower and hairy, and the stem shorter. Pe- 

 rennial: flowers in July and August : grows in ditches, ponds, 

 and rivers : common. Eng. Bot. vol. vii. pi. 435. Eng.. Fl. vol. ii. 

 p. 232. 615. 



10. P. Persicaria. Spotted Persicaria. Styles two, united half 

 way up; stamens six; spikes dense, oblong, erect; stipules 



fringed. Stem erect, branched, leafy : leaves lance-shaped, entire, 



shortly stalked, generally marked about the middle with a black- 

 ish spot: flowers rose-coloured. Annual: flowers in July and 

 August : grows in ditches and wet fields : common. Eng. Bot. 

 vol. xi. pi. 756. Eng. Fl. vol. ii. p. 233. 616. 



11. P. lapathifolium. Pale-flowered Persicaria. Styles two, 

 distinct ; stamens six ; flower- stalks rough ; stipules not fringed. 



Stem about a foot high, branched, swelled above the joints : 



leaves broadly lance-shaped, rough-edged, sometimes marked with 

 a blackish spot : flowers reddish or pale-green. Annual : flowers 

 in July and August : grows in cultivated ground and on dung- 

 hills : common Eng. Bot. vol. xx. pi. 1382, Eng. Fl. vol. ii. p. 234. 



617. 



12. P. mite. Lax-flowered Persicaria. Styles two, united half 

 way up ; stamens six; clusters loose, filiform, drooping; leaves 

 lance-shaped. Flowers red. Differs from the following in want- 

 ing the glands of the flowers. Annual : flowers in August : grows 

 in the south of England. Brit. Fl. 4th ed. p. 165. 618. 



13. P. Hydropiper. Biting Persicaria. Styles two, united half 

 way up ; stamens six ; clusters loose ; interrupted, drooping ; 



stem erect ; leaves lance-shaped, waved, without spots. Stem 



two feet high, swelled above each joint, smooth : clusters terminal, 

 long and slender ; flowers pale-green. The whole plant has an 

 acrid, burning taste, which is supposed to reside in glandular dots 

 sprinkled over it. Annual : flowers in September : grows in 

 ditches and pools : frequent. Eng. Bot. vol. xiv. pi. 989. Eng. Fl. 

 vol. ii. p. 235. 619. 



14. P. minus. Small Creeping Persicaria. Styles two, united ; 

 stamens six ; clusters loose, slender, nearly erect ; stem decum- 

 bent at the base ; leaves between linear and lance-shaped. 



Stem about a foot high, branched at the base, swelled above each 



B 



