610 Order 103.— PHYTOLACCACE^. 



joints naked ; Ivs. cordate-hastate, acuminate, auricles acute ; fla. in loose, pe- 

 dunculate racemes which are naked or leafy ; cai. mih the 3 outer sep. acutely keeled 

 and winged on the back, closely covering the smooth, black achenium. — 3) Thickets, 

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

 1 to 2', petioles, newly 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. tom- 

 ceolate-sagUate ; fls. capitate ; sia. 8 ; sty. 3. — (D. "Wet grounds. Can. and U. S. 

 A rough, climbing species, 2, to 5f in length. St. square, the angles very rough 

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

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

 whitish. Jn. 



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

 with divaricate, acwninaie auricles ; spikes few-flowered ; fls. distinct ; stam. 6 ; 

 sty. 2. — (D "Wet grounds. Can. to Ga. and"W. Stales. 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. t(Gr. <j>dyog, German SSuii^c, 

 Eng. the beech, nvpog, wheat; — beech-nut-wheat.) Cal3rx colored, 

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

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

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

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



P. esoul^ntum Mcench. 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. Fls. nu- 

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



Order CHI. PHYTOLACCACE^. Pokeworts. 



'Herbs with alternate, entire leaves and perfect, 5 -parted, hypogynous flowers. 



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



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



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



with the embryo coiled around the farinaceous albumen. 



Genera 20, species 80, scattered in all pm-ts of the world. Their properties are pnrgative or 

 emetic, yet liitherto little used or understood. 



1. PHYTOLACCA, Tourn. Poke. Gargot-wbed. (Gr. cjjvtov, 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 leaves. 



P. decindra L. Lvs. ovate, acute at both ends; fls. with 10 stamens and 10 

 styles. — If Roadsides, U. S. and Can., common. Root very large 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. cylindrio, long, at first terminal, becoming finally op- 

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

 .staining a beautiful purple color. Jl. — Sept. 



2. Riyi^NA, Plum. (Tn memory of A. Q. Rivinus, Prof, of Botany 

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

 fruit.; stamens 4 or 8; ovary 1-ceiled, 1-styled, 1-ovuled, berry at 



