RUMEX. 



various fpecies, much refembles. We cannot but prefer this 

 etymology to that taken from rumo, to fuck, by which the 

 acid flavour of Sorrel, ufeful in allaying thirft, was fuppofed 

 to be indicated. — Linn. Gen. 178. Schreb. 238. Willd. 

 Sp. PI. v. 2. 249. Mart. Mill. Diet, v. 4. Ait. Hort. Kew. 

 v. 2.318. Sm. Fl. Brit. 390. Prodr. Fl. Grace. Sibth. 

 v. I. 244. Brown Prodr. Nov. Holl. 421. Purfh 247. 

 JufT. 82. Lamarck Illultr. t. 271. Gasrtn. t. 119. (La- 

 pathum ; Tourn. Init. 504. Acetofa ; ibid. 502. t. 2S7.) 

 — Clafs and order, Hexanilria Trigynia. Nat. Ord. Hole- 

 raceit, Linn. Polygone/e, JufT. 



Gen. Ch. Cat. Perianth inferior, of three obtufe, re- 

 flexed, permanent leaves. Cor. Petals three, ovate, fimilar 

 to the calyx, but larger, converging, permanent, forming 

 valves over the feed. Stam. Filaments fix, capillary, very 

 fhort ; anthers eradt, of two lobes. Fiji. Germen fuperior, 

 triangular, turbinate ; ityles three, capillary, reflexed, pro- 

 jecting between the petals ; ftigmas large, laciniated. Perk. 

 none, the converging, triangular, hardened corolla, enfold- 

 ing the feed. Seed folitary, triangular. 



EH. Ch. Calyx of three leaves. Petals three, converging, 

 permanent.' Seed folitary, triangular, fuperior, without a 

 feed-vefiel. Stigmas many-cleft. 



Obf. R. digynus excludes one-third in the number of 

 every part of the fructification, except the Itamens. Thofe 

 fpecies which compofe the Sorrel tribe, have flowers with 

 ilamens on one plant, flowers with piftils moltly on another, 

 being dioecious, or in fome inllances monoecious. R. fpino- 

 fus is monoecious ; and the perianth of the female flowers 

 beomes hooked and rigid. R. alpinus is polygamous. In 

 feveral fpecies the petals are diltinguifhed by a tumid, hard, 

 moftly Coloured, grain, or roundilh tubercle, at the back, 

 molt confpicuous when the feed ripens ; fometimes of equal 

 fize in all, fometimes obfolete in two of the petals. This 

 is a genus of hardy, perennial, almolt invariably herbaceous 

 plants, nearly allied to Rheum ; fee that article. They have 

 fmall pretentions to be confidered as ornamental, and, on 

 the contrary, are generally efteemed weeds, becaufe they 

 moftly grow where they are a nuifance and encumbrance. 

 The agriculturift (ligmatizes with the name of Docks, all 

 large, biennial or perennial, ftrong-rooted, rank-growing 

 herbs, and generally pays for their extirpation, according to 

 a fettled rate, under thac denomination. The roots of the 

 various fpecies of Rumex are altringent ; their herbage is 

 like wife often fo, though fometimes very acid. Every 

 part of the plant is greenifh, with a itrong tendency to become 

 red by age. Botanilts differ about the denomination of the 

 parts of the flower. Analogy and theory teach the whole 

 of the integuments in this genus and Rheum to be a calyx ; 

 but the three inner divifione in Rumex having a feparate in- 

 fertion, fomewhat of a different texture or itrudturc, and 

 being fo remarkably altered, in moll fpecies, as the fruit 

 ripens ; while in fuch fpecies as have, after flowering, an en- 

 larged or hardened calyx thefe inner fegments remain un- 

 changed, never undergoing any alteration 111 concert with the 

 three outer fegments ; all this evinces that nature is not always 

 conformable to our rules. The genus Rumex therefore is 

 one of thofe in which we are obliged to ufe our difcretion, 

 as to the denomination of the calyx and corolla, m fpite of 

 arbitrary and abfolute principles. 



The fpecies in Willdenow amount to 36. They are in 

 general well defined, but feveral are mifunderltood, or given 

 twice ; fo that we mult exhibit as compendious a view as 

 poilible of the whole, having alfo fome to add. Eleven are 

 natives of Britain. The Hortus Kewenfis enumerates 27, 

 two of which do not occur in Willdenow. They arecom- 

 modinufly difpofed in three fections. 



Vol. XXX. 



Sect. 1. Stamens and pi/lils in the famejloviers. Valves 

 dijlinguijhed by a granular tubercle. 



i. R. Patientia. Patience Dock or Rhubarb. Linn. Sp. 

 PI. 476. Willd. n. 1. Ait. n. 1. Ehrh. PI. Off. n. 273. 

 (Hippolapathum fativum ; Ger. Em. 389. H. hortenic ; 

 Matth. Valgr. v. I. 407.) — Flowers united. Valves entire, 

 ovate ; one of them minutely granular. Leaves ovato- 

 lanceolate, taper-pointed Native of Italy. Long culti- 

 vated in kitchen or ruftic gardens, having been fome- 

 times ufed as a pot-herb, and the root occafionally employed 

 as a purgative medicine, in the place of Rhubarb. Hence 

 it is fometimes called Monk's Rhubarb, though that name 

 is now retained rather for the Rumex alpinus. The Patientia 

 is four or five feet high, erect, fmooth, green ; its leaves 

 from twelve to eighteen inches long, rather narrow. 

 Flowers in whorled or tufted chillers, copious, pendulous. 

 Petals large, ovate, reticulated with veins ; the midrib of 

 one cf them fwelling, in its lower part, into an oblong, not 

 very evident, grain. We now rather prefer the above cut of 

 Gerarde, to that of Dodonxus cited by Linnaeus. 



2. R. fanguineus. Bloody-veined Dock. Linn. Sp. PI. 

 476. Willd. n. 2. Ait: n. 2. Purfh n. 1. Fl. Brit. n. 1. 

 Engl. Bot. t. 1533. (Lapathum lativum fanguincum ; Ger. 

 Em. 390.) 



0. R. acutus ; Curt. Lond. fafc. 3. 21, the defcription, 

 not the figure. ( R. Nemolapathum; Ehrh. Phytoph. n. 94. 

 Linn. Suppl. 212. Bloodlefs Dock; Petiv. H. Brit. t. 2. 

 f. 6. ) — Flowers united. Valves entire, oblong; one of 

 them chiefly granular. Leaves lanceolate, heart-fhaped at the 

 bafe. — Native of Europe, in woods and by way fides. Dr. 

 Sibthorp found it in Greece, and though not very common 

 in England, it occurs in various parts. Mr. Purfh fays it 

 grows in (hady woods and moifl meadows, from Pennfylvania 

 to Virginia, flowering in June and July. The green variety, 

 /3, is very common in England, under the fliade of trees in 

 rather dry woods. Perhaps it ought to be etlcemed the 

 original fpecies ; the kind whofe Ualks and veins contain a 

 crimfon juice, being perhaps the variety. Tliislaft appears, 

 by Gerarde's herbal, to have been firft known here as a pot- 

 herb. Linnaeus mentions Virginiaonly as its native country, 

 and marks it as biennial. With us both varieties are certainly 

 perennial. The plant is erect, three or four feet high, 

 branched, rather (lender, and of a delicate appearance. 

 Flowers fmall, in long clullers of very numerous tufts or 

 whorls ; their petals oblong and obtufe, one of them bearing 

 an extremely large, globular, red grain. 



3. R. fpatulatus. Spatulate Cape Dock. Thunb. Prodr. 

 67. Willd. n. 3. — " Leaves obovate, obtufe. Valves gra- 

 nular." — Found by Thunberg at the Cape of Good Hope. 



4. R. crifpus. Curled Dock. Linn. Sp. PI. 476. 

 Willd. n. 7. Ait. n. 3. Purfh n. 2. Fl. Brit. n. 2. 

 Engl. Bot. t. 1998. Curt. Lond. fafc. 2. t. 20. ( Ljpa- 

 thum longifolium crifpum ; Munt. Brit. t. IC4.) — Flo 

 united. Valves ovate, wavy, entire, all granular. Leaves 

 lanceolate, undulated, acute.— In walte ground, pathircs, 

 and by way fides, common throughout Europe, as well as 

 in North America, flowering in June and July, and acci- 

 dentally throughout the Cummer. This i^ a wry trouble* 

 fome and unprofitable weed; readily diitinguHhed, as a 

 fpecies, from all other Englilh Docks, by the curved leaves, 

 and large entire valves, each bearing an ovate grain. Thefe 

 are by accidental error termed calyx-valvH in Jingl'i/b Botany. 

 The root is tap-lhaped, ycllouilh. Stem two or three feet 

 high, branched, nearly fmooth to the touch. Leaves of a 

 lightilh green. Clujlcrs rather long ; leafy in their lower 

 part. 



c. R. verticil/alus. Whorled American Dock. Linn. 

 4 U 



