OLYGONUM MINUS. SmALL, CREEPING, NARROW-LEAVED 



P E R S I G A R I A. 



POLYGONUM Linmci Gen. PL Octandria TrigyniA, 



Cat. o. Cor. 5-partita calycina. Sem. I, angulatum. 



Raii Syn. Getn 5. HERBiE flore imperfecto seu Stamineo vel apetala potius» 

 POLYGONUM minus floribus hexandris, fubmonogynis, foliis lineari-lanceolatis, caule ban repente. 

 POLYGONUM minus hexandris digynis foliis lanceolatis, ftipulis ciliatis, caule divaricate patulo. 



Hudfon Fl. Angl. p. 148. 

 POLYGONUM foliis ovato- lanceolatis, glabris, fpicis ftrigofis, vaginis ciliatis. Haller. hifl. p. 257. 



»• 1555- 

 PER SIC ARIA minor. Bauhin Pin, 10 1 4 ? anguftifolia. Bauhin Pin. 10 1. 3? 



PERSICARIA pulillarepens Ger. emac. 446. Parkin/on, 857. Raii Syn. 145.2. Small Creeping Arfmart. 

 PERSICARIA anguftifolia ex fingulis geniculis florens. Mer. Pin. 90? Raii Syn. 145. 3. Narrow- 

 leaved Lakeweed. 



RADIX annua, fibrofa. | 



CAULES plures, dodrantales, aut pedales, bafi repentes, | 



demum fuberecti, geniculati, (geniculis paulu- f 



lum incraffatis,) lieves, rubicundi. | 



FOLIA lineari-lanceolata, pene avenia, fupe-rne glabra. | 



% 



STIPULE vaginantes, ciliatae. % 



-r 



• . i 



SPIC^E tenues, parum nutantes, e fingulis geniculis | 



prodeuntes. t 



CALYX : Perianthium quinquepartitum, perfiftens, | 



coloratum, laciniis obtuiis concavis,^. 1. ^ 



COROLLA nulla. | 



STAMINA: Filament a fex ; Anthers biloculares, | 



albae, intra Corollam. f 



PISTILLUM : Ger men ovatum aut triangulare ; Sty- | 



lus filiformis, apice bifidus aut trifidus ; Stig- f 



mata duo aut tria rotunda, renexa, fig. 2, 3. | 



SEMEN aut ovato-acutum aut triangulare, caftaneum, | 



magnitudinis fere et formae feminis Polygoni t 



Perficariae, fig. 4, 5^ | 



N. B. Omnes partes fructificationis lente augentur. ^ 



ROOT annual, and fibrous. 



STALKS feveral, about nine inches or a foot high, 

 creeping at bottom, then becoming nearly upright, 

 jointed, (the joints fomewhat thickened,) 

 fmooth, of a reddifh colour. 



LEAVES betwixt linear and lanceolate, fcarcely any ap- 

 pearance of veins, onthier upper furface fmooth. 



STIPULiE forming fheaths round the joints, and 

 ciliated. 



SPIKES flender and a little drooping, proceeding from 

 each joint of the ftalk. 



CALYX : a P'erianthium divided into live fegments, 

 which are obtufe and hollow, fig. r. 



COROLLA wanting. 



STAMINA fix Filaments; Anthers bilocular, 

 and white, within the Corolla. 



PISTILLUM : Germen oval or triangular ; Style 

 filiform, at top bifid or trifid ; Stigmata two 

 or three, round and turned back, fig. 2, 3. 



SEEDS oval or triangular, of a chefnut colour, nearly 

 of the fame fize and fhape as the Polygonum 

 Perficaria, fig. 4, 5. 



N. B. All the parts of the fructification are magnified. 



If the opportunity of feeing this plant growing wild had ever occured to the celebrated Swedifh Botanift, he would 

 doubtlefs have confidered it as a diftinct fpecies ; at prefent he has placed it in the laft edition of his works, the 

 Syfiema Vegetabilium, as a variety of the Polygonum Perficaria, probably milled by dried fpecimens of the plant : 

 thofe who truft to fuch are exceeding liable to deceive both themfelves and others, particularly in plants whole 

 parts of fructification (from which it is fometimes neceflary to draw fpecific differences) are very minute — thofe in 

 the living plants are with difficulty enough diftinguifhed, and in dried fpecimens not to be inveftigated. 



Whoever has obferved the appearance which the Polygonum minus and Perficaria ufually put on, mull have been 

 ltruck with the great diffimiiarity of the two in their general habits ; and if they have taken the pains to examine the 

 parts of fructification, they will, I am perfwaded, be convinced that both Mr. Ray and Hudson are juftifiable 111 

 making them diftinct fpecies. 



It differs from the Polygonum Perficaria in its fize, growth of its ftalk, fhape of its leaves, form of its fpikes, and 

 divifion of its Piftillum. In height it feldom exceeds a foot, whereas the Perficaria often occurs a yard high ; the 

 ftalk of this fpecies creeps at bottom, in the Perficaria it never does : it is true in the Perficaria, and moit of the 

 Polygonums, a number of little roots pufli themfelves out at the joints, which are next the ground ; but in this fpecies 

 the ftalk at bottom is absolutely procumbent," whilft in the Perficaria it is always upright ; the leaves are much nar- 

 rower, approaching rather to linear than lanceolate, and on their upper furface have much lefs appearance of veins, 

 than in the Perficaria-, the fpikes, inftead of being oval or nearly round, and upright, as in the Perficaria, are {lender 



and a little drooping : the Piftillum, which is apart of very great confequence in determining many of the fpecies a 

 varieties of this genus, is (lightly divided at top only ; while that of the Perficaria is divided halfway down ; her 



ad 



nee 



as I have called that fpecies femidigynous, I have called this fubmonogynws. 



Hitherto I have met with this, plant growing wild no where but in Tothill-fieUs i Wefiminjler, where it makes ample 

 amends for its fcarcity elfewhere, being found in the greateft abundance in the watry parts of thofe fields, along with 

 the Sifymbrium fiyhefire in the month of September, when it is in full bloom. 



At prefent it does not appear that it has any thing more than its fcarcity to recommend it to our notice. 



