236 HEXANDRIA TRIGVMA 



Herbaceous: leaves alternate; flowers in subvcrlicillatc fascicles, racemose, 

 paniculate, terminal or axillary. Nat. Ord. 156. Lindl. Polyoonra. 



f Flowers perfect. * Valves or inner perianth-segments entire % all 



graniferous, 



1. R. cmspus, L* Leaves lanceolate, acute, curled on the margin; 

 valv«| large, cordate, nearly entire, reticulately and prominently 

 veined, all dorsally graniferous. Beck, Hot. p. 303. 

 (•i;rt.bi> Rumkx. Vulgo— Sour Dock. Curled Dock. 

 i; a llicc — Patience frisC-e. Germanic? — Krauser Ampler. 



Root perennial, large, fusiform, yellow. Stem 2 to 3 or 4 feot high, angular- 

 sulcate, smoothish, paniculately branched above. Radical leaves numerous, 8 to 

 12 or 16 inches long, and 1 to 2 or 3 inches wide, lance-oblong, rather acute ; stem 

 /tares linear-lanceolate. Flowers In crowded fasciculate verticils, with scarioui 

 involucres at I ase ; pedicels slender, 3 to 4 lines long, articulated near the bate. 

 Perianth green ; inner segments, or valves, much larger, cordate, obsolctely den- 

 ticulate near the base, each with an ovoid acuminate excrescence, or grain, on 

 the back. Seedy or nut, acutely triquetrous, acuminate, brown, smooth and 



shining. 



TIab. Moist grounds; meadows, &c. common. Fl. May, July. Ft. July, Sept. 



Obs. All the species of Rumcx, in this County, are introduced ; and are rather 

 troublesome plants. The radical leaves of this arc often collected, in the spring, 

 and used as early "greens." The root is said to have been found an useful appli- 

 cation to cancerous sores ; but I know not how correctly* 



** Valves dentate, mostly graniferous. 



2. R. obtusifohus, L. Radical leaves subcordatc-oblong, obtuse ; 

 valves lance-ovate, acutely dentate near the base, one of them con- 

 spicuously graniferous. Beck, Bot. p. 304. 



Obtuse-leaved Rvxr.x. Vulgo — Bitter Dock. Broad-leaved Dock. 



Root perennial, thick, branching, brown externally, yellow within. Stem 2 to 1 

 feel high, anguiar-sulcale, rough I sh, paniculately branched. Radical leaves 8 tn \l 

 inches long, and 4 to 6 inches wide, roughish-pubescent on the nerves ; petioles 

 sulcate, pubescent. Flowers in interrupted fasciculate verticils. Perianth green; 

 innor segments lance-ovate, rather acute, reticulately veined, with long acute 

 teeth on the margins, towards the base, and one of them bearing a large grain oa 

 the back. 

 Hab. Grass-lots, gardens, and meadows : frequent. Fl. June— July. Fr. Aug.-Sept. 



Obe. This is even more worthless than the preceding ; but not quite so pro? a- 

 lent. 



f f Flowers dioicous : Valves not graniferous. 



3. R. acktosella, L. Leaves lanceolate, hastate, with the lobes 

 acute, spreading ; flowers dioicous ; valves of the pistillate flowers en- 

 tire, not graniferous. Beck, Bot. p. 304. 



Vulgo — Sheep Sorrel. Field Sorrel. 



iZallice. Petite Oseillc. Germanice. Der Saucrampfer. Hisp. Acedcrilla. 



Root perennial, somewhat fusiform. Stem 6 to 12 or 15 inches high, 6lender. 



branching, somewhat angular and furrowed. Leaves 1 to 2 inches long, and 1 



third to 3 fourths of an inch wide ; the lower ones mostly all hastate, and on pe- 



