420 polygonace^t; 



eaten in Cumberland under the nanfe of Easter Mati Giants, 

 which perhaps means Easter eating, from the French iiiaiigeaiit. — 

 l'"l. |une — Septeniljer. Perennial. 



14. P. vivipanun (\'iviparons Bistort, Alpine ISistort). — A 

 slender plant, 6 — S in. high, with a slender rhizome ; a simple, 

 erect stem ; leaves linear-lanceolate, with their margins rolled back ; 

 flowers pink, in a slender, loose, blunt spike, which has small red 

 bulbils in its lower part in place of flowers. — Mountain pastures, 

 especially in the Scottish Highlands. — Fl. June — July. Pe- 

 rennial. 



*2. F.M.ni'VRUM (Buckwheat), a gc'nus differing from Polv- 

 gomiii! mamly in the euihrvn, which is in the centre or axis of the 

 seed, and has large, leaf-like, plaited cotyledons, is only represented 

 in England by one species, the Common Buckwheat (F. esru- 

 Untum), probably a nati\ e of Central Asia, and not indigenous in 

 Britain. It has erect, branched stems, about a foot high ; cordate- 

 sagittate, acute leaves ; and pinkish //oit'crj in spreading panicles. — 

 Sown as food for pheasants.- — M. July, August. Annual. 



3. OxvRiA (Mountain Sorrel), a gemis containing only the one 

 species 0. digyna, a plant resemliling the Common Sorrel (Ruiiiex 

 Acetosa) in habit, but sliorter and stouter. It grows 8 — 10 in. 

 high, and is smooth and rather fleshv. The leaves are all radical and 

 kidney-shaped, with long stalks ; and the floicers are green, and 

 grow in clustered spikes. The perianth is deeply 4-cleft, the 

 segments in 2 rows, the inner larger and persistent ; stamens 6, 

 with versatile anthers ; styles 2 \ fruit a flattened nut with a 

 broad, membranous wing. — 1 lamp plaiies near the summits of 

 high mountains in the north ; not uncommon. (Name from the 

 Greek oxus, sharp, from the pleasantly acid flavour of the stem 

 and leaves.) — Fl. June — August. Perennial. 



4. RuMEX (Dock, Sorrel). — Herbacedys plants with a rhizome : 

 usually grooved stems ; scattered leavi^s with tubular stipules ; 

 flowers in racemes or panicles of whorls ; perianth deeply 6-cleft, 

 the 3 inner segments enlarging in the fruit stage ; stamens 6, with 

 basilixed anthers ; styles 3 ; slifimas feathery, wind-pollinated ; 

 fruil a triangular nut, covered by the enlarged inner perianth- 

 segments ; embryo lateral. (Name, the old Latin name of the 

 plant.) 



* Insipid plants (Docks), 7idlh leaves not liastate. and perfect 

 floivers 

 The species in this group h\bridise freely, thus adding to the 

 difficulty (if discriminating between them.* 



