Polygonum Persicaria. Common spotted 



e r s i c a r i a. 



POLYGONUM Unmet Gen. PI. Octandhia Trigynia. 



Rail Syn. Gen. 5 Herbje flore imperfecto seu stamineo, vel apetalo potius. 



POLYGONUM Perficaria floribus hexandris femidigynis, pedunculis laevibus, ftipulis ciliatis, fpicis ovato- 

 oblongis ereclis. 



POLYGONUM Ferficarla floribus hexandris digynis, fpicis ovato-oblongis, foliis lanceolatis, ftipulis ciliatis, 

 Lin. Syji. Vegetab. p. 312. Flor. Sued c. p. 130. 



POLYGONUM foliis ovato-lanceolatis, fubhirfutis, fpicis ovatis, vaginis ciliatis. Hallcr. hiji. Heh. v. 2. p. 257. 



PERSICARIA mitis maculofa et non maculofa. Bauhin. Pin. p. 10 1. 



PERSICARIA maculofa Gerard, emac. 445. vulgaris mitis feu maculofa. Parkinfon. 856. Rail Syn. ed.y p. 145. 

 n. 4. Dead or fpotted Arfmart. Hudfon Flor. Angl. p. 147. n. 4. Scopoli Fl. C.rniol p. 279. 



RADIX fimplex, fibrofa. | ROOT iimple and fibrous. 



CAULIS ereftus, ad bairn aliquando repens, pedalis ad | STALK upright, fometimes creeping at bottom, from 



tripedalem, ramofus, teres, glaber, ad genicu- | one to three feet high, branched, round, fmooth, 



los fenfim incraflatus, fsepe rubens : fub geni- | gradually thicker at the joints, often of a red 



culis punctaradicalia difcernantur quamvis huic | colour : a little beneath each joint fome radical 



fpeciei non propria. % points are obiervable, which however are not 



I peculiar to this fpecies. 



RAMI alterni, e fingulo geniculo prodeuntes, patentes, | BRANCHES alternate, proceeding from each joint, 



fepe diffufi. I fpreading, frequently very much fo. 



STIPULE vaginantes, liquore vifcido fsepe replete, | STIPULE embracing the ftalk, frequently full of a yif- 



ciliatae. IP cid liquid, and terminated by long cihaeor hairs, 



FOLIA lanceolata, fubpetiolata, margine nervoque me- | LEAVES lanceolate, with fhort foot-ftalks, the edge 



dio fubhirfutis, utrinque lsevia, macula ferrum % and midrib (lightly hairy, fmooth on both fides, 



equinum quodammodo referente fiepius notata. | in general having a large fpot on the middle of 



J the leaf fomewhat like a horie Ihoe. 



PEDUNCULI laeves. \ FOOT-STALKS of the flowers, fmooth. 



FLORESfpicati,rofei,SpicaBterminales,erecl:aB,fubovat£e. | FLOWERS growing in fpikes, of a bright rofe colour, 



J the lpikes terminal, upright, of a fomewhat 



\ oval lhape. 



CALYX: Perianthium quinquepartitum, coloratum, % CALYX: aPERiANTHiuM divided into five fegments, 



perfiflens, fegmentis ovatis obtufis, fig, 1, 2. | coloured, and periifting the fegments oval and 



™ROLLA nulla. _ _ | COROLLA wanting. 



STAMINA: Filamenta fex funao calycis inierta Ion- | STAMINA: fix Filaments iilferted into thi : 



gitudme corollas Antherje rubentes, /#. 2. ? of the Calyx, the length of the Corolla ; the 



I Anthers redifh, fig. 2. 



PISTILLUM: GERMENovatum, compreilum, aut trique- % PISTILLUM : Germen oval and flat, or three fquare, 



trum, fig. 3, 6. Stylus ad medium ufique bifidus | fig. 3, 6. Style divided down to the middle into 



' fiepe trfdus, fig. 5, 8. Stigmata duo aut . tria $ two, often into three parts, fig. 5, S. Stigmata 



fubrotunda, fig. 4, 7. | two or three, and round, fig. 4, 7. 



SEMEN unicum, nitidum, aut fubovatum, acuminatum, | SEED one, mining, either of an oval pointed fliape and 



ad unurn latus leviter convexum ; Jig. 9, 11, aut ? {lightly convex on one fide, fig. 9, 11. or 



tngonum, fig, 10, 12. * three- fquare, fig. 10, 12. 



The very great fimilarity which exiits between the feveral fpecies of the Polygonums, has occafioned no fmall de- 

 gree of trouble to Botanifts, in rightly ascertaining the limits of each Species and Variety ; a difficulty not to be 

 overcome while Books are confuked more than Nature. Senfible of the truth of this obfervation, and earneftly 

 defirous of arriving at fome certainty on this iubje£t, we have examined a vaft number of all the different Species and 

 Varieties of Polygonum which our neighbourhood affords, compared them with one another, fown the ieeds, and 

 cultivated many of them ; and if we do not deceive ourfelves, have reduced fome of the more difficult ones to 

 their true Species and Varieties. 



As what we relate concerning thefe plants is no more than the refultof the moll: accurate and repeated investigation, 

 aflifted by the microfcope, we mail be the leis concerned becaufe we differ from Authors of the moll reipectable 

 Authority. 



The writer who gives an account of all the known plants in the univerfe, cannot be fuppofed to have the oppor- 

 tunity of being fo minute in his enquiries as one who defcribes the plants of a particular fpot, which as they grow 

 are conitantly the objects of his attention. 



We have ventured to alter Linnaeus's Specific defcription of this plant, which ftands thus. 



Polygonum floribus hexandris digynis, fpicis ovato-oblongis, foliis lanceolatis, fiipulis ciliatis. to 

 Polygonum floribus hexandris femidigynis, pedunculis lavibus, fiipulis ciliatis, fpicis ovato-oblongis ereftis. 



We have not made this alteration from an idle delire of differing from fo great a Man, whom, we truly reipecl and 

 revere, but folely to make the diftinclions betwixt thofe plants more obvious, and thereby add our mite to the 

 general flock of Botanic knowledge. In fpecific defcriptions, the diftinguilhing marks mould as much as poffible 

 be contraiied or oppofed to each other, in thefe plants this does not feem to have been fafhciently attended to. What 

 we have principally in view by altering the Specific defcription is to diftinguifh it from the Polygonum Penfylvanicum 

 and its varieties, of which there are feveral, and to which the Polygonum Perficaria in its general habit is exceeding 

 nearly allied. 



In all the flowers of this Species which we have examined, the Style has been divided juft half way down, 

 hence we have called the flowers Semidigyni, had it been divided down to the bafe they would with propriety have 

 been called Digyni. In moft of the flowers the Style is divided into two parts, and the Germen is a little convex 

 on each fide, in fome of the flowers the ftyle is divided into three, hence thofe flowers might be called Semi- 

 trigyni, and when this is the cafe the Germen is always triangular. In the Polygonum Penfylvanicum the Style is di- 

 vided nearly to the bafe, this difference then in the divilion of the Style, is of coniiderable eonfequence in diftinguilh- 

 ing the two Species and their varieties from each other. 



The footilalks which fupport the flowers in this Species, are quite fmooth, in the Polygonum Penfylvanicum, they 

 are belet with a great number of minute glands, which gives them a manifeft roughnefs, and contributes to charac- 

 terife that Species. 



The Stipuke are furnifhed with long Ciliae or Hairs, particularly towards the top of the plant, in the Polygonum 

 Penfylvanicum thefe are wanting. Thefe two plants likewife differ much in the form of their feeds, of which we ihall 

 fpeak more fully in our account of the latter. 



The flowers always grow in upright fpikes of an oval fliape more or lefs round; by thefe two characters this 

 Species is at once diitinguiihed from the Polygonum Hydropiper,, the fpikes of which are fit 'form and pendulous. 



The leaves are moil commonly fpotted, but this is neither coiiftant nor peculiar to this Species, and difference of 

 fize only forms the principle variety to which it is 'fubjecr.. 



It grows exceedingly common in ail our Ditches, and flowers in Auguft and September ; its biofToms are beautiful 

 and lail a coniiderable time, was it not fo common, it would probably bethought worthy of a place in our Gardens. 



No particular virtues or ufes are attributed to it. 



