610 Ordsb 103.— PHYTOLACCACBjE. 



joints naked ; Ira. cordato-haatate, acuminate, auricles acute ; fla. in loose, pe- 

 dunculate racemes which are naked or leafy ; col. with the 3 outer Sep. acutely keeled 

 and wiiiged on the back, closely covering the smooth, black achenium. — (P Thickets, 

 Oan. and TJ. S. St. 3 to 8 to 12f long, climbing over bushes, &c. Lva. 2 to 3' by 

 1 to 2', petioles nearly as long. "Wings of the calyx narrower than the fruit, 

 produced often at the apex. Jl. — Sept. 



20 P. sagittatum L. Scratch Grass. St. prostsate, rough-angled; Ivs. lan- 

 ceolate-sagiiate ; fls. capitate ; sia. 8 ; siy. 3. — (T). Wet grounds. Can. and U. S. 

 A rough, climbing species, 2 to Sf in length. St. square, the angles very rough 

 with prickles pouiting downwards. Lvs. acute, 2 to 3' long, a third as wide, 

 with straight auricles and smooth stipules. Pig. in small, terminal heads, 

 whitish. Jn. 



21 P. arifolitim L. St. aculeate with reversed prickles ; lvs. hastate, acuminate, 

 with divaricate, acuminate auricles ; spikes few-flowered ; fls. distinct ; stam. C ; 

 sty. 2. — (D Wet grounds, Can. to G-a. and W. States. Distinguished from the last 

 by its larger, halbert-shaped leaves which are 2 to 4' long and + as wide. Petioles 

 J to 1' long. Clusters racemous, slender, loose, few-flowered, at the ends of the 

 branches. Jn., Jl 



8. FAGOPY'RUM, Tourn. Buckweat. (Gr. ^o'yof, German Sud^c, 

 Eng. the beech, nvpoc;, wheat; — beech-nut-wheat.) Calyx colored, 

 equally 5-parted, spreading, withering, not enlarged in fruit ; stamens 

 8, with 8 nectariferous glands between ; styles 3 ; stigmas obtuse ; acbc- 

 nia 3-angled, much exceeding the calyx. — <T) Herbs with cordate-hastatjj 

 lvs., oblique sheaths and panicled rac. of white-roseate fls. 



F. escul^ntum Moench. Erect, smoothish ; lvs. cordate with obtuse lobes ; ach. 

 angles wingless, entire, the sides ovate-triangular. — Old fields, sparingly natu- 

 ralized, cultivated. St. 2 to 4f high. Lvs. 2 to 4' long, half as wide. Pis. nu- 

 merous, very grateful to bees. Fruit black, a valuable grain, f § Asia. 



Order CIII. PHYTOLACCACE^. Pokeworts. 



Merbs with alternate, entire loaves and perfect, 5-parted, Iiypogynous flowers. 



Calyx free. Stamens 5 to 30, alternate with the sepals when of the same number. 



Ovary usually compound, of several carpels, each 1-ovuled cohering in a circle. 



Styles and stigmas as many as carpels. Pruit baccate or samara-like. Seeds erect, 



with the embryo coiled around the farinaceous albumen. 



Genera 20, species 80, scattered in all parts of the "worlJ. Their properties are purgative or 

 emetic, yet liitlierto littlo used or understood. 



1. PHYTOLACCA, Tourn. Poke. Gargot-weed. (Gr. ipvTov, a 

 plant, Lat. lacca, lac or late ; from the juice of the berries.) Calyx 5- 

 parted, resembling a corolla; stamens 5 to 25 ; styles and carpels 5 to 

 12 ; berry superior, depressed, globular, with as many seeds as styles. 

 —Herbaceous. Rac. terminal, soon becoming opposite the loaves. 



P. decandra L. Lvs. ovate, acute at bolh ends ; fls. with 10 stamens and ] 

 •styles. — y Roadsides, U. S. and Can., common. Eoot very largo and branching. 

 St. with a diam. of 1 to 2', 5 to 8f high, round, smooth, branching, and when 

 mature of a fine, deep purple. Lvs. 5' by 2 to 3', smooth, of a rich green color, 

 entire and petioled. Rac. cylindric, long, at first terminal, becoming finally op- 

 posite the leaves. Fls. greenish-white. Fruit a dark purple berry, with juice 

 staining a beautiful purple color. Jl. — Sept. 



2. RIVrNA, Plum. (In memory of A. Q. Eivinus, Prof, of Botany 



at Lcipzic.) Calyx 4-parted, 3-bracteolate ; sepals equal, suberect in 

 fruit; stamens 4 or' 8; ovary 1-coiled, 1-styled, 1-ovuled, berry at 



