POLYGONACEAE 



287 



1. R. Acetosella. 



2. R. hastatulus. 



3. R. Acelosa. 



4. R. verticillatus. 



5. R. mexicanus 



6. R. altissimus. 



I. Rumex L. 



Leaves hastate; flowers dioecious; foliage acid; low species. 



Inner sepals not developing wings in fruit; achenes granular. 

 Fruiting inner sepals developing wings; achenes smooth. 

 Basal leaves numerous. 

 Basal leaves few. 

 Leaves not hastate; flowers perfect or polygamo-dioecious; foliage 

 scarcely or not at all acid; tall species. 

 Leaves flat, bright or light green, or glaucescent. 



Tubercles usually 3; pedicel longer than the wing. 

 Pedicels several times longer than the wing. 

 Pedicels little longer than the wing. 

 Tubercle usually 1 ; pedicels equalling the wing. 

 Leaves wavy-margined or crisped, not glaucescent. 

 Wings of the calyx entire, more or less undulate. 



Lower leaves narrowed or acuminate at the base. 

 Tubercle 1. 

 Tubercles 3. 

 Lower leaves cordate or rounded at the base. 



Tubercles mostly 3; inflorescence not leafy, 



pedicels long. 

 Tubercle 1; inflorescence not leafy; pedicel 

 short. 

 Wings of the calyx toothed or fringed. 

 Lower leaves cordate. 



Wings ovate or oblong-ovate; tubercles mostly 



2. 

 Wings hastate or ovate-hastate; tubercle I. 

 Lower leaves mostly narrowed at the base; wings 



with 4 spreading, bristle-like teeth. 13. R. persicariodes. 



i . R. Acetosella L. Dry fields and hillsides: throughout N. Am., 

 except the extreme north. Naturalized from Europe. 

 Abundant as a roadside and field weed. 



2. R. hastatulus Muhl. On the seacoast: Mass. to Fla. and on 



the plains from Kan. to Tex. 



N. Y. Exclusively north of the moraine on eastern L. I.; not 



reported from S. I., elsewhere unknown. 

 N. J. Longport, Atlantic Co. 



A localized species whose center of distribution is unknown. 



3. R. Acetosa L. Lab. to Alaska. Naturalized from Eu. in Vt., 



N. Y. and Pa. 

 Local as a weed. 



4. R. verticillatus L. In swamps: Que. to Ont. and Iowa, south 



to Fla. and Tex. 



Conn. Known only in the area of the drainage of the Connecticut 

 River. 



