86 MEMOIRS FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY OF COLUMBIA COLLEGE. 



[Plate 30.] 

 30. Polygonum minus Hudson. 



Polygonum minus Hudson, Fl. Angl. 148 (1762); Gmelin, Syst. Nat. 2: 638; Meis- 

 ner, in DC. Prodr. 14: 111. 



Polygonum 'pudllum Lamarck, Fl. Fr. 3: 235(1778); Meisner in Mart. Fl. Bras. 

 5 : 17, as synonym. 



Polygonum strictum AUioni, FL Pedem. 2: 206. t. 68. f. 2 (1785); Meisner in Mart. 

 Fl. Bras. 5 : 17, as synonym. 



Annual, slender, dull-green, scurfy throughout. Stem lax, diffuse, 3-5 dm. long, 

 sometimes procumbent and creeping, nearly simple or much branched, rather fleshy; 

 leaves varying from lanceolate to linear or sometimes oblong, 2-8 cm. long, .2-1.5 cm. 

 broad, unsymmetrical and often scythe-shaped, papillose and sparingly pubescent on the 

 lower surface, especially about the midrib, ciliate, short-petioled ; ocreae cylindric or 

 slightly funnelform at branching nodes, 1 cm. long, sparingly strigose and fringed with a 

 few short bristles; inflorescence paniculate, usually rather simple, the ultimate divisions 

 ending in spicate racemes ; racemes linear, 1-5 cm. long, lax, few-flowered, more or less 

 interrupted at the base; ocreolae funnelform, 3 mm. long, somewhat oblique, fringed 

 with short bristles; pedicels about 3.5 mm. long; calyx greenish, 2.5-3 mm. long, flve- 

 parted to below the middle; stamens eight or fewer, included; style .5 mm. long, two- 

 parted nearly to the base, included; achenes lenticular, nearly 2 mm. long, broadly 

 oblong, conspicuously biconvex or triquetrous and narrowly ovoid-oblong, black, smooth 

 and shining. 



Louisiana and Chili. Introduced from Europe. 



