iT> 



>ROAD LEAVED 



OCK. 



RUMEX Linmri Gen. PL Hexandria Trigynia, 



Cal. 3 phylius. Petala 3 conniventia. Sem. 1 triquetrum. 



Raii Syn. Gen. 5. Herr^: flore imperfecto seu stamineo vel apetalo potius, 



RUMEX obtufifoUus floribushermaphroditis, valvulis dentatis graniferis, foliis cordato-oblongis obtufis 

 pubefcentibus. Lin. Syji. Vegetab. p. 285. Sp. PL 478. FLSuecic. n. 315. 



LAPATHUM foliis ovatis, circa petiolum emarginatis, floribus denfe paniculatis, dentatis, verrucofis., 



Haller, hift. Helv. n. 1592. 



LAPATHUM vulgare folio obtufo. J. B. 11. 984. 

 LAPATHUM fylveftre, folio fubrotundo. Banh. p. 115. 

 LAPATHUM fylveftre, folio minus acuto. Ger. emac. 388. 

 LAPATHUM fylveftre vulgatius. Park. 1225. 



Raii Syn. p. 141. The moft common broad leaved wild Dock. 

 Hudfon. Fl. Angl. ed. 2. p. 155. Lightfoot FL Scot. p. 189. 



Rx^DlX perennis, in terram alte et recle ; defcendens, | 



fuiiformis, craffitie digit! intermedii, foris for- | 



dide fufca, intus flavefcens, in junioribus fim- % 



plex, in annolis multiplex, ramofus. | 



CAULIS tripedalis, ereftus, ad bafin ufque ramofus, 

 teres, Isevis, fuperne fcabriusculus, fulcatus, 

 folidus, geniculatus, geniculis ftipulis obfo- 

 letis, marcescentibus veftitis. 



FOLIA radicalia, cordato ovata, petiolata, obtufiufcula, 

 fubtus venofa, nervo medio faepius ruberrimo, 

 caulina acuta, fubundulata. 



PETIOLI fubtus rotundati, fuperne plano-concavi. 



RACEMI florum axillares, fubere&i, nudiusculi. 



CALYX: Perianthium triphyllum, foliolis lanceo- 

 lato-linearibus, concavis, margine membra- 

 naceis, corolla brevioribus. 



COROLLA : Petala tria, ovata, obtufiuscula, pa- 

 tentia, margine membranacea. 



STAMINA: Filamenta fex, breviffima, alba ; An- 

 thers fublineares, flavae, apice bifidae. 



PISTILLUM: Germen trigonum ; Styli tres, ca- 

 pillares, reflexi, inter rimas petalorum con- 

 niventium exferti ; Stigmata laciniata. 



PERICARPIUM nullum : Corolla trivalvis, connivens, 

 includens femen ; valvulis ovato-acutis, ve- 

 Doiis, margine denticulatis, unica granifera. 



fig- i>*-3- 

 SEMEN unicum, triquetrum, fufcum. 



ROOT perennial, running deeply and ftraightly into 

 the earth, tapering, the thicknefs of the 

 middle finger, on the outride of a dirty- 

 brown colour, internally yellowifh, in the 

 young ones fimple, in the old ones divided 

 into many branches. 



STALK three feet high, upright, branched down to 

 the bottom, round, fmooth, upwards flightly 

 rough, grooved, folid and jointed, joints co- 

 vered with obfolete, withered ftipulse. 



LEAVES next the root of an heart fhaped oval form 

 ftanding on footftalks, bluntim, veiny under- 

 neath, the middle generally very red, thofe 

 on the ftalk pointed and fomewhat waved. 



LEAF-STALKS round underneath, above plano-con- 

 cave. 



FLOWER-BRANCHES, proceeding from the ake of 

 the leaves, nearly upright, and furnifhed 

 with but few leaves. 



CALYX: a Perianthium of three leaves, which are 

 of a Ihape betwixt lanceolate and linear, hol- 

 low, membranous at the edges, and fhorter 

 than the corolla. 



COROLLA: three oval Petals, bluntim, fpreading, 

 membranous at the edges. 



STAMINA : fix Filaments, very fhort and white ; 

 Anthers fomewhat linear, yellow and 

 forked at top. 



PISTILLUxYt: Germen three cornered, Styles 

 three, very fine, turning back, and project- 

 ing from betwixt the clofed petals. 



SEED-VESSEL none: the Corolla, which is com- 

 pofed of three valves, clofes and contains 

 the feed ; the valves are oval, pointed, 

 and veiny, toothed on the edge, one of them 

 bearing a granule.^. 1. 2. 3. 



SEED fingle, three cornered and brown. Jig. 4. 



OF all our Englifh Docks, this perhaps may be faid to be the moft common, and confidered as a weed the 

 moft pernicious, being the largeft and moft fpreading, except the Water Dock, and refufed by cattle in general ; 

 hence^the Hufbandman who wifhes to fee his grounds neat and clean has a rooted enmity to it, and for its des- 

 truction an inftrument, called a Docking Iron, has been invented by fome one more ingenious than the reft, 

 which is frequently made ufe of; the purpofe of this inftrument is to draw the plant up by the root, from an 

 idea that if it was cut down ever fo clofe, while any part of the root remained, it would grow again ; ^ but this 

 idea 'has perhaps been too haftily aflumed, frequent mowing mojl certainly dejlroys it, and frequent fpudding it is pre- 

 fumed would have the fame erfed, but unlefs it be done carefully, and at ftated periods,- little good is to be ex- 



pefted. 



In all forts of cultivated ground, in Farm Yards, Courts, by the fides of Ditches, and elfewhere, we find this 

 fpecies moft abundantly, it flowers at the latter end of June, and ripens its feed in July and Auguft. 



Our prefent plant is fubjeft to as little variety as any of the Docks, its broad bottom leaves readily diftin- 

 guifh it, and thefe, though they may differ fomewhat in frze according as the foil is more or lefs luxuriant varv 

 but little in their fhape, in general the younger the plant the more obtufe are its radical leaves. 





