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where may be found, among other kinds: the slender nettle, 
of North America; the stinging nettle, native in Europe and 
Asia, but introduced into this country; and the wood nettle, 
also a North American plant; all of these secrete an oil 
through the hairs covering the stem and leaves, this oil 
being irritating to the skin, especially in the stinging nettle. 
In the immediate neighborhood and to the right is the birth- 
wort family, represented by several species of wild ginger 
(Asarum), among them the common one of this region, the 
short-lobed wild ginger, the root of which is of medicinal 
value; another is Shuttleworth’s wild ginger, of the south- 
eastern United States. To the buckwheat family there are 
at present devoted three beds, forming a group to the left 
of the nettle family. The docks (Rumex) are shown in 
many forms, as are the knotweeds (Polygonum); the most 
showy of these are the Japanese and Sakhalin knotweeds, 
the latter a plant of considerable economic importance, 
being used as a fodder plant, and is a native of the Sakhalin 
Island; to this family also belong rhubarb, or pie-plant, and 
buckwheat. Next to this and near the brook is the goose- 
foot family, with several species, one of which, the lamb’s- 
quarters (Chenopodium), is native of Europe and Asia, but 
found as a common weed in waste places and along road- 
sides in this country; its young shoots are sometimes used 
asavegetable. Closely related to this, and just south of it, 
is the amaranth family, represented by several species of 
the pigweed, many of them among the commonest weeds 
of our roadsides and waste places. Forming a series to the 
right of this are: the whitlow-wort, four-o’clock, pokeweed, 
carpetweed and purslane families. In the whitlow-wort 
family are gnawel or German knotweed, a common weed 
of fields and waste places, and the forked chickweed. In 
the four-o’clock family may be found the common four- 
o’clock of our gardens, a native of tropical America, its 
flowers opening only on cloudy days or late in the afternoon 
on clear days, whence its name; and the umbrellaworts, 
from North America. In this vicinity is the Madeira-vine 
