104 memoirs from the department of botany of columbia college. 



[Plate 39.] 

 3g. Polygonum aviculare Linnaeus. 



Pohjgonnin nrirularc Linnaeus, Sp. PL 362 (1753); Gmelin, Syst. Nat. 2: 619; Wal- 

 ter, Fl. (W. 13-2; Willdenow, Sp. PI. 2: 449; Michaux, Fl. Bor. Am. 1: 237; Persoon. 

 Syn. 1: 439; ^Muhlenberg, Cat. 40; Pursh, Fl. Am. Sept. 269; Bigelow, Fl. Bost. 93; 

 Eaton, Man. 37(.); Nuttall, Gen. 1: 254; Barton, Comp. Fl. Phil. 186; Elliott, Bot. S. C. 

 an.l Ga. 1 : 453; Sprengel, Syst. 2: 255; Torrey, Fl. 1: 406, Comp. 171, Fl. N. Y. 2 : 

 152; :\k'isner, Monog. 87 and in DC. Prodr. 14: 97; Darlington, Florula Cest. 48, Fl. 

 Cest. 274; Hooker, Fl. Bor. Am. 2: 132; Beck, Bot. 300; Eaton & Wright, N. A. Bot. 

 Ed. 8, 367; A. Gray, Man. 388; Gay, Fl. Chil. 5: 268; Wood, CI. Bk. Ed. 41, 474, Am. 

 Bot. and Fl. 283 ; Chapman, Fl. S. States, 390 ; Darby, Bot. S. States, 488 ; S. Watson, 

 Bot. King's Exp. 315, Bot. Calif. 2: 11; Behr, Fl. San Francisco, 275; Greene, Fl. 

 Francis. 133. 



Polygonum aolcalurc var. angustifolium Michaux, Fl. Bor. Am. 1 : 237 (1803); Nut- 

 tall, Gen. 1 : 254; Barton, Comp. Fl. Phil. 186. 



Polygonum aviculare var. procumbens Meisner, Monog. 87 (1826) ; Torrey, Fl. N. Y. 

 2: 152. 



Annual or perennial, glabrous throughout, of a dull green or bluish-green color. 

 Stem prostrate or ascending, 1-6 dm. long, from a woody base, simple or branched from 

 below or throughout, striate or ridged ; leaves oblong, linear-lanceolate or oblanceolate, 

 .5-2 cm. long, .1-.5 cm. broad, usually acute or sometimes obtuse, joined to the petiole 

 by an articulation near the base, acuminate at the base, crowded or distant, not conspicu- 

 ously nerved, sub-sessile or short-petioled ; ocreae oblique, 4 mm. long, silvery, two-cleft 

 when young, becoming lacerate Avith age; inflorescence axillary, consisting of clusters 

 with from two to five flowers ; pedicels slender, 1-2 mm. long ; calyx green, five-parted 

 to below the middle, the segments oblong, obtuse, with Avhite or pink borders ; stamens 

 varying from five to eight, included; style .3 mm. long, three-parted to below the 

 middle, included ; achene triquetrous, 2.5 mm. long, ovoid, acute, dark brown, rounded 

 at the base, rather pointed at the apex, granular and dull. 



Common throughout North America except the extreme north. Also in Europe 

 and Asia. 



