126 WAYSIDE WEEDS. 



monly about building rubbish and on neglected 

 ground ; add to it one of the nettles which usually 

 keep it company, and put alongside the nettle, if 

 you can, its relative the common hop (Fig. 57), 

 establishing what seems to you a strange relation- 

 ship. Keeping still to our rubbish-heap, or search- 

 ing any roadside, ,where weediag is neglected, you 

 gather an insignificant-lookiag little plant, truly a 

 wayside Weed, with stems so weak that they rest 



£ia. 8Q.r-Blossom5 magnMed of common Enot-fp^ass. A, Side view; a, peri, 

 antli ; bj membranooB bracta. B, Front view ; a, triple Btylee. C, Style 

 niuiih magnified. 



much on the ground, and with numerous little pink 

 blossoms (Fig. 80) fitting closely into the axils of 

 the leaves. This, the common knot-grass, has a 

 close family connection with the buckwheats. These 

 knot-grass, bistort, and buckwheat weeds are near 

 relatives of the docks, as you will find out on exami- 

 nation ; moreover, their Kttle pink flowers are very 

 pretty indeed when minutely looked intOj and even 



