418 CHENOPODiACE^. [Chenopodium. 



green above, benealh glaucous and covered with copious greasy mealiness. 

 Spikes rather short, slightly branched and compound below. Flowers small, 

 green, in numerous distant sessile clusters, in each of which the central flower is 

 elevated on a very short and thick pedicel, the rest aggregated around its base. 

 Perianth 3- or 4-cleft. Seeds small, blackish, flat or compressed, finely dotted, or, 

 according to the excellent description of this species in Mertens and Koch's 

 ' Deutschland's Flora,' wrinkled under a high magnifier, closely enwrapped by 

 the thin pellicular perisperm and the mostly 3-cleft perianth. A few seeds in 

 each cluster are often vertical, but the greater part are horizontal. The figures 

 in 'English Botany' and ' Flora Danica' have the leaves much more acutely 

 sinuate than in my very numerous specimens, in all of which the sinuosities leave 

 blunt intermediate lobes, suggesting the idea of oak-leaves, to which indeed they 

 bear a strong general resemblance.* 



5. C. murale, L. Nettle-leaved Goosefoot. " Leaves shining 

 ovate approacMng to rhomboid acute sharply toothed entire at 

 the base, spikes divaricately branched cymose leafless, seeds 

 opaque dotted, their edge obtuse and not keeled." —Br. i^f. p. 

 345. E. B. t. 1722. Fl. Dan. xii. t. 2048. 



In waste places about towns, under walls, on rubbish, dung-hills, and in neg- 

 lected gardens, but not general. Fl. Julv, October. Fr. September — Novem- 

 ber. ©. 



E. Med. — At E. Cowes in several places, sparingly. Frequent at Newchurch, 

 at the vicarage and elsewhere, 1841. Sandown, Mr. W. D. Snooke. Under the 

 rocky cliff on the right-hand side of the road from St. Lawrence to Niton, a little 

 beyond the turning off to Whitwell, in plenty, growing with Beta maritima. Miss 

 Hadfield ! 



W. Med. — In Northwood park, very sparingly, 1844. At Yarmouth and Ning- 

 wood. Newport, Freshwater, &c., in plenty", Mr. W. D. Snooke in Fl. Vect. 

 Probably C. urbicum, var. intermedium, has been gathered for C. murale at the 

 two last-mentioned places. 



Root tapering, long and slender. Stem 1 — 2 feet high, much branched, 

 obscurely angular, striated, green or reddish, erect or reddish. Leaves dark or 

 often bright green, smooth, thick and more or less shining, ovate or ovato-lanceo- 

 late, somewhat rhomboidal, acute, variously but deeply and sliarply toothed, the 

 teeth pointing forwards, attenuated at the base into moderately long petioles; 

 scarcely if at all mealy : the lower leaves, which are largest and hroadest, have 

 somewhat the look of those of the nettle. Spikes axillary and terminal, leafless 

 or very nearly so, spreading, much branched in a paniculate or cymose manner. 

 Flowers rather large, in small, roundish, sessile clusters, greenish, and covered 

 with a mealy or rather crystalline efflorescence, though this is almost wanting on 

 the stem and leaves. Perianth cleft, the segments obtuse, with a blunt prominent 

 keel. Seed tunicated, dull black, orbicular, much compressed, with a narrow rim 

 or border, minutely rugoso-punctate, almost wholly covered by the closely invest- 

 ing perianth, rather larger than in C. urbicum, horizontal. 



The smell of this plant is slight but unpleasant ; the stem and leaves are often 

 a fine red. 



Native or naturalized in America. I have gathered it at Philadelphia, and 

 observed it extremely common at Norfolk in Virginia, beyond which to the north- 

 ward I have not remarked it. 



6. C. urbicum, L. Upright Slender -spiked Goosefoot. 



p. intermedium. C. intermedium, M. et K. Leaves triangular, toothed ; 

 spikes long, erect, approaching the stem, suhsimple, nearly leafless, their clusters 

 remote or scattered; seeds horizontal, rough, tightly coated. Sm. E. Fl. ii. p. 

 10. Br. Fl. p. 345. E. B. x. t. 717. Lind. Syn. p. 215. 



* Called Rand's Oak Blite on this account by Petiver, &c. 



