THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 39 
P. strigosum, R. Br. Flowers December to March. Distributed 
Tasmania. 
P. minus, Hudson. Flowers January to June. Distributed 
Tasmania and New Zealand. 
P. aviculare, L. Vern. name, Knotgrass, Wire Weed, Hoggerass. 
Flowers nearly all the year round. An alien. Distributed 
almost cosmopolite. 
Uses.—A mild astringent, Diarrhoea, &e., externally for wounds. 
Fruit emetic and cathartic. The whole plant yields indigo-blue. 
P. Hydropiper, L. Vern. name, water pepper or biting Persicaria. 
Flowers February June. Distributed North Temperate 
Temisphere and to Australia. 
Uses.—Contains Polygonie acid of an acrid, bitter taste and a 
volatile acrid principle. Plant when chewed imparts a hot and 
pungent taste to the tongue. 
P. prostratum, R. Br. Flowers March April. Distributed Tasmania 
and New Zealand. 
Mucehlenbeckia, Meissner. Etym, In honor of Dr. Muehlenbeck» 
who closely studied the plants of Alsace. 
M. adpressa, Meiss. Vern. name, Sarsaparilla, of the colonists. 
Flowers September November. 
Uses.—Produces the same effect as the true Smzlax species 
employed as alteratives and tonics. 
Rumez, L. Hiym. The old latin name, alluding to some 
resemblance of the leaves to the Roman war-arms. Vern. 
- name, Dock and Sorrel. 
R. crispus, L. Vern. name, Curled Dock. Flowers nearly all 
the year round. Distributed Europe, North Africa, Temperate 
Asia to Japan. Introduced in North America, Tasmania and 
New Zealand. 
Uses.—Is an alterative, detergent and antiscorbutic remedy, 
mildly aperient, acting on the colon ; may be given in Scrofula, 
cutaneous eruptions, and in the form of an ointment. Leaves 
may be advantageously used as an article of diet in scurvy, in 
the form of a salad. They are agreeably acid to the taste, 
owing to binoxalate of potash with tartaric acid, but lose their 
taste in drying. Juice of the leaves mixed with water affords an 
agreeable acidulous drink. The cortical part of the root is the 
most active. In America the concentrated tincture of Rumex is 
now prepared and used for the complaints above mentioned. 
R. Acetosella, L. Vern. name, Sheep’s Sorrel. Flowers nearly 
allthe yearround. Distributed. Widely diffused throughout 
Temperate and Arctic zones. 
Uses.—Leaves used as a salad; abound in binoxalate of potash. 
100lb. of the leaves yield Slb. of the salt. The decoction of the 
