156 POLYGON ACEiE. 



Valley northwestward to Monterey; Corral Hollow, Brewer; Tracy, 

 Benj. Cobb; Stockton, Parry. Apr. 



6. RUMEX L. 



Weed-like perennial herbs. Leaves alternate, the petioles with 

 entire somewhat sheathing stipules. Flowers greenish, reddish or 

 yellowish, crowded and commonly whorled in panicled racemes. 

 Ca'.yx of 6 sepals, nearly distinct, the 3 inner larger, petal-like, 

 accrescent in fruit and connivent over the achene, 1 or more of them 

 usually bearing a callous grain or tubercle on the back; the 3 outer 

 spreading or reflexed. Stamens 6. Styles 3, short; stigmas tufted. 

 Achene triangular. Embryo lateral. (Old Latin name used by 

 P.iny.) 



Emex aitstralis Steinh., native of South Africa and Australia, is 

 adventive on our sea-beaches, ace. to Greene; flowers unisexual; 

 pistillate calyx in fruit thick and almost woody and the outer lobes 

 thorn-like. 



Flowers diceoious; inner sepals without callous grains, not retieulated and not 



longer tlian the achene; leaves hastate.— Sorbem. . . 1. R. Acetosella. 

 Flt)We'S perfect or Hiidro-moncecious; inner sepals commonly reticulated; in 

 fruit becoming much onger than the achene; leaves never hastate.— Docks. 

 Inner fruiting sepals entiri' (or only low-denticulate) and 



Not grain-bearing, 3 ti)6 lines long 2. E. occidentcdis. 



All grain-bearing, or 1 or 2 naki d, 1 to 2ii lines long; pedicels jointed near 

 the base, recurved cr geniculate. 



Leaves strongly undulate, elliptical to obloDg-lanceolate 



3. E. criapus. 

 Leaves slightly undulnte, mostly oblong or ovate . . 4. R. cimgloma'alus. 



Leaves plane, lanceolate 5. i2. salicifolius. 



Inner fruiting sepals with very prominent slender teeth or bristles, grain- 

 bearing. 

 Pernnnial; flowers in dense whorls, ihe whorls remote. 

 Flowering branches divaricate; pedicels jointed in the middle 



6. E. pulcher. 

 Flowering branches sub-erect; pedicels jointed near the base 



7. R. dbtusifoUus. 

 Annual; whorls mostly spicate-crowded; pedicels jointed near the base. 



8. R. persicarimdes. 



1. R. Acetosella L. Sokeel. Stems tufted, commonly 9 in. high; 

 radical and lower leaves hastate, the upper reduced or the branches 

 leafless and ending in the reddish (pistillate) or yellowish (staminate) 

 panicle; pedicels capillary, as long or twice as long as the flowers; 

 staminate flowers 1 line long or less, the pistillate J as long. 



Introduced. Very commtm in the seaward Coast Range region, 

 propagating freely by creeping roots and often hard to exterminate. 

 May. 



2. R. occidentalis Wats. Westkkn Dock. Erect, glabrous, 

 stout, and nearly simple, commonly 3 or 4 ft. high; leaves somewhat 

 fleshy, oblong-ovate or ovate, truncate or subcordate at base, mostly 

 narrowed toward the apex, the blade 16 in. long or less, the petioles 

 of the radical leaves longer than the blade; panicle strict, mostly very 

 dense. 1 ft. long or more, leafless or with a few small leaves below, 

 rosy in fruit; pedicels 8 to 6 lines long, obscurely jointed below the 

 middle; inner fruiting sepals broadly ovate, subcortiate. 



Marshes bordering the bays. 



