BUCKWHEAT FAMILY. 135 



Without callous grains, 4 to 6 lines long; joint of the pedicels not prominent 



2. R. occidentalis. 

 With callous grains (or 1 or 2 of the sepals naked), 1 to 2^ lines long; pedicels 

 prominently jointed near the base. 

 Leaves strongly undulate, elliptical to oblong-lanceolate; fruiting sepals with a broad 



wing bordering the callous grain 3. R. crispus. 



Leaves slightly undulate, mostly oblong or ovate; callous grain nearly covering 



fruiting sepal, leaving only a narrow wing 4. R. conglomeratus. 



Leaves plane, mostly lanceolate; fruiting sepal triangular, usually much larger than 



than the callous grain 5. R. salicifolius. 



Inner fruiting sepals with very prominent slender teeth or bristles; callous grains 1 

 to 3. 

 Perennial; flowering branches elongated and 



Spreading at wide angles; pedicels jointed near the middle 6. R. pulcher. 



Suberect; pedicels jointed near the base 7. R. obtusifolius. 



Annual; flowering branches usually short, the whorls mostly spicate-crowded; pedi- 

 cels jointed near the base 8. R. persicarioides. 



1. R. acetosella L. Sheep Sorrel. Stems tufted, commonly 9 in. high; 

 lower leaves hastate, the upper reduced or the branches leafless and ending 

 in the reddish (pistillate) or yellowish (staminate) panicle; pedicels as long 

 or twice as long as the flowers; staminate flowers 1 line long or less, the pistil- 

 late rather smaller. 



Naturalized weed; common. The green leaves are very acid. 



R. hymexosepalous Torr. Canaigre. Stem 2 ft. high, nearly simple, aris- 

 ing from a cluster of 2 to 12 tuberous or dahlia-like roots and ending above 

 in a dense panicle % to 1 ft. long; leaves oblong or tapering to each end, 

 slightly succulent, somewhat wavy-margined, y 2 to 1 ft. long; sheathing stipules 

 conspicuous; pedicels jointed near the middle, y 2 to nearly as long as the 

 fruit ; inner sepals membranous and rosy in fruit, ovate, cordate at base, 4 to 6 

 lines long. — Dry sandy washes and sandy plains from Kern Co. and Xipoma 

 southward; most abundant on the San Fernado and San Bernardino plains, 

 thence eastward to Arizona and Xew Mexico. Roots used in tanning leather. 

 The plants do not, however, do well in cultivation, irrigation decreasing the 

 amount of tannin. The leaf-stem is used as a substitute for rhubarb, whence 

 the names Wild Rhubarb, Wild Pie-plant and Sour Dock. 



2. R. occidentalis Wats. Western Dock. Erect, glabrous, stout, and 

 nearly simple, 3 or 4 ft. high; leaves somewhat fleshy, oblong-ovate or ovate- 

 lanceolate, truncate or subcordate at base, mostly narrowed toward the apex, 

 the blade 16 in. long or less, the petioles of the radical leaves longer than the 

 blade; panicle strict, mostly very dense, 1 ft. long or more, leafless or with a 

 few small leaves below, rosy in fruit; pedicels 3 to 6 lines long, obscurely 

 jointed below the middle, as long or longer than the fruit; inner fruiting sepals 

 broadly ovate, subcordate. 



Marshes bordering San Francisco Bay. 



3. R. crispus L. Curly Dock. Stem stoutish, commonly 2 ft. high; leaves 

 bluish-green, very wavy-margined, elliptical to oblong-lanceolate, 10 in. long 

 or less, the petioles 1 or 2 in. long; flowering branches strict with few leaves, 

 the whorls dense, mostly crowded and red-brown in fruit; pedicels twice as 

 long as the fruit, tumidly jointed near the base; inner fruiting sepals broadly 

 ovate, 2 to 2y 2 lines long, all with smooth, callous grains, rarely 1 or 2 naked. 



Very common naturalized weed in low or neglected lands. Stem from a tap- 

 root as also in nos. 2 and 5 to 8. The half -fleshy root has astringent and tonic 

 properties. Blade more or less decurrent on the petiole in this and the next. 



4. R. conglomeratus Murr. Greex Dock. Stems slender, mostly clustered, 

 3 to 4 ft. high; leaves ovate or mostly oblong, slightly undulate, 4 in. long, 



