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POLYGONEiE. 
upon it. Height 1 — 2 feet. Fl. pale. St. sometimes spotted 
and 1. hoary.— Waste and damp places. A. VII. VIII. 
5. P. laxum (R.) ; spikes elongated slender, 1. lanceolate 
much attenuated at both ends wavy glandular beneath, ochrea: 
lax shortly fringed the floral ones horned, peduncles and peri- 
anths ylandular- scabrous, nut compressed its faces roundish acu- 
minate both hollowed shining a quarter shorter than the perianth, 
styles connected below at length divergent and reflexed. — E.B. S. 
2822. R. Icon. f. 685. — Smaller than the preceding. St. often 
prostrate. Varies with spikes slender and interrupted (the typi- 
cal form), spikes thicker continuous (represented in E. B. S.), 
and leaves white and woolly beneath.- — Damp gravelly places. A. 
VII.— X. E. 
6. P. Persicaria (L.) ; spikes compact ovate-oblong cylindri- 
cal, 1. lanceolate plane minutely tubercled, ochrea lax strongly 
fringed, peduncles and perianths smooth, nut compressed and 
gibbous on one side or trigonous its faces roundish acuminate 
smooth scarcely covered by the perianth, styles connected half- 
way up at length patent. — E. B. 756. — St. 1 — 2 feet high. L. 
more or less covered with hairs on both sides, sometimes woolly 
on the under side when it is P. incanum of authors. Peduncles 
sometimes slightly hairy but never glandular. — Waste and damp 
ground. A. VI. — X. 
7. P. mite (Schrank) ; spikes erect filiform interrupted, 1. lan- 
ceolate slightly wavy, ochrea lax funnelshaped pilose strongly 
fringed without glands, perianths without glands, nut (large) 
compressed its faces roughish ovate acute rather shining convex, 
stam. 5, styles connected half-way up " arrect." E. B. S. 
2867. — St. 1 — 3 feet high, often much branched. Ochrese all 
fringed. Spikes thickening upwards. — Wet places. Near Chel- 
sea and Cambridge. A. VIII. IX. E. 
8. P. Hydropiper (L.) ; spikes drooping filiform interrupted, 
1. lanceolate wavy, ochrece ventricose glabrous fringed glandular, 
perianths glandular, nut (large) compressed its faces ovate acute 
rugose-punctate opaque convex, styles 2 nearly distinct. — E. B. 
989. — St. 1 — 3 feet high. Upper ochreae funnelshaped, scarcely 
fringed. Nut rounder than in P. mite. Spikes sometimes erect. 
—Wet places. A. VIII. IX. 
9. P. minus (Huds.) ; spikes erect filiform slender lax, L linear- 
lanceolate plane, ochrea close pilose fringed without glands, peri- 
anths without glands, nut (small) compressed its faces ovate acute 
smooth shining convex, style nearly simple. — E. B. 1043. — St. 
procumbent, diffuse. Spikes ascending. Much smaller than 
the preceding. Ochreae all fringed. Fl. and fr. only half the 
size of those of P. Hydropiper. — (3. erectum (Bab.) ; st. erect, 
1. narrower. — Wet gravelly places. A. IX. 
