POLYGONACEAE. 8 1 



linear, entire, pinnately veined; flowers perfect, terminal or 

 axillary, rarely solitary ,_ cymose, bractless; calyx campanulate, 

 the base of its tube adnate to the ovary; limb 5-lobed; stamens 

 5, rarely 4, at the bases of the calyx-lobes and between the lobes 

 of the disk; fruit drupaceous, globose or ovoid, crowned by the 

 persistent calyx. 



Comandra pallida A. DC. Stertio erect, from woody rootstocks, 30-40 cm. 

 high, simple or branched above; leaves sessile, lanceolate or linear, acuminate, 

 pale and glaucous, 2-4 cm. long; umbels clustered; flowers 4-5 mm. long, the 

 whitish calyx-lobes little spreading, acute, puberulent above, scarcely equalling 

 the green tube; fruit nut-like, globose or ovoid, 7-10 mm. long, glaucous, 

 reticulated, tipped by the persistent calyx. Gravelly soil, quite common. 

 Nuts edible. 



Family 30. ARISTOLOCHIACEAE. Birthwort Family. 



Low herbs or twining shrubs; leaves alternate or basal, 

 petioled, mostly cordate or reniform, without stipules; flowers 

 axillary or terminal, solitary or clustered, perfect, mostly large; 

 calyx-tube at least at the base adnate to the ovary, its limb 3- 

 lobed, 6-lobed or irregular; petals none; stamens 6-12, united 

 with the style; ovary partly or wholly inferior, mostly 6-celled; 

 ovules numerous in each cavity ; fruit a 6-ceIled capsule or berry ; 

 seeds ovoid or oblong, angled or compressed. 



112. ASARUM. Wild Ginger. 



Stemless perennial often clustered herbs, with slender aromatic 

 branched rootstocks; roots thick, fibrous-fleshy; leaves long- 

 petioled, reniform or cordate, entire; flowers solitary, large, 

 peduncled, brown-purple or mottled, borne near the ground; 

 calyx bell-shaped or hemispheric, adnate to the ovary, at least 

 below, regularly 3-lobed; stamens 12, inserted on the ovary; 

 ovary partly or wholly inferior, 6-celled, the parietal placentae 

 intruded ; ovules numerous ; capsule coriaceous ; seeds compressed. 



Asarum caudatum Lindl. Sparsely hairy throughout; rootstocks elongate, 

 10-30 cm. long; leaves reniform-cordate, 5-10 cm. broad, obtuse or acutish; 

 petioles slender, elongate; peduncles 1-4 cm. long; flowers brown-purple; 

 calyx-lobes oblong-lanceolate, attenuate, 2-5 cm. long. Deep woods, in the 

 mountains. 



Family 31. POLYGONACEAE. 



Herbs or shrubs; leaves alternate or sometimes opposite or 



whorled, simple, mostly entire, with usually sheathing united 



stipules (ocreae); flowers small, regular, perfect, dioecious, 



monoecious or polygamous, in spikes, racemes, corymbs, umbels 



7 



