POLYGONACEiE. 443 



times opposite ; the upper ones often narrow and entire, or coarsely toothed. 

 Flowers clustered in rather slender spikes, forming narrow, leafy terminal 

 panicles ; the females mixed with the males, or a few in separate axillary clus- 

 ters. Segments of the fi-uiting perianth united to about the middle, usually 

 ovate or rhomboidal and pointed, often toothed at the edge and warted or 

 miu-icate on the back, but very variable in size and shape, often of two kinds, 

 a larger and a smaller, on the same plant. 



On the seacoasts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, extending to the Arctic 

 regions, besides being very common inland as a weed of cultivation. Abun- 

 dant in Britain. Fl. the whole season except early spring. The principal 

 forms, which have been distinguished as species, although they run very 

 much one into another, are the following : — ■ 



a. Hastate O. (A. patttla, Eng. Bot. t. 936; A.deltoidea, Suppl. t. 2860; 

 A. rosea, Suppl. t. 2880 ; a,nd.A. Bahingtoni, Brit. Fl.) Erect or spreading. 

 Lower leaves broadly triangular or hastate, often coarsely and irregularly 

 toothed. 



b. Upright O. {A. erecta, Eng. Bot. t. 2223.) Stem erect. Leaves lan- 

 ceolate, the lower ones broader and hastate. 



c. Common O. (A. angustifoUa, Eng. Bot. t. 1774.) Stem spreading or 

 decumbent. Leaves mostly lanceolate or the upper ones hnear. 



d. Narrow O. {A. littoralis, Eng. Bot. t. 708.) Stems prostrate. Leaves 

 still narrower than in the last, often toothed. 



All these varieties have maritime forms, with thicker succulent leaves, in 

 some specimens very green and sliining, in others more or less mealy-white, 

 especially the hastate variety. 



5. Frosted Orache. Atriplex rosea, Linn. 

 {A. laciniata, Eng. Bot. t. 165.) 



Resembles some of the maritime varieties of the common O., but is much 

 more covered with a white scaly meal; the leafstalks are much shorter, the 

 floral leaves almost sessile, and the female perianths are mostly clustered in 

 the axils of the leaves, wliilst the male flowers are in rather dense spikes, 

 forming short terminal panicles. Leaves usually broadly triangular or 

 rhomboidal, and coarsely toothed. Fruiting periantlis always mealy-white, 

 rather tliick, rhomboidal or orbicular, often warted : the segments united to 

 above the middle, but not so high as in the Purslane O. 



On the seacoasts, and m the saline districts, of Europe, Asia, and Africa, 

 but not extending to the Arctic regions. Not uncommon round the British 

 Isles, Fl. summer and autumn. 



LXII. THE POLYGONUM FAMILY. POLYGONACEiE. 



Herbs, or, iu some exotic species, shrubs, with alternate leaves, 

 and thin, scarious stipules, forming a sheath or ring round the 

 stem within the leafstalk. Flowers small, herbaceous or some- 

 times coloured, clustered in the axils of the leaves or in spikes 

 or racemes, forming terminal panicles. Perianth of 6, 5, or 

 fewer segments, regular and equal, or the inner ones enlarged. ' 

 Stamens variable in number, never more than 8 in the British 

 species. Ovary free, with a single ovule, but with 2, 3, or more 



