The BRITISH HERBAL. 
487 
The ftalk is round, jointed, and green ; a foot 
high, and not much branched. 
The leaves are long, narrow, and of a frcfti 
green. 
The flowers ftand at the tops of the Halks and 
branches in longifh, but loofc fpikcs 1 and are of 
a paie, yellowifh green. 
It is common in watery places, flowering in 
June. 
C. Bauhine calls it Perficaria minor. 
Befidc thefe, our fertile ditch-banks afford no 
lefs than eight other fpecics of arfmart. Thefe 
agree in their form and general manner of growth. 
The ftalks are jointed, the leaves oblong and un- 
divided, and the flowers fpiked in all of them. 
Their diftinftions will therefore be familiarly con- 
veyed to the reader in an enumeration, fuch as 
we have before given under the dock kind, with- 
out the repetition of thefe common particulars in 
them all, in fo many feparate defcriptions. The 
fevera! fpecies are thefe : 
1. Narrow-leaved Arfmart, Per^caria angujiifolia. 
This produces fpikes of flowers from the bo- 
foms of ail the leaves. 
2. Spotted Arfmart, Perftcaria mitis mactihfa. 
The leaves of this are infipid, and each 
has a black fpot. 
3. Hoary Arfmart, Perficaria folio fubtus incano. 
The leaves are whitifh, and rough under- 
neath. 
4. Pale-leaved Arfmart, Perfcaria mith major 
foliis ■pallidioribiis, A very tall plant, with 
great, pale, fpotted leaves. 
5. Willow-leaved Arfmart, Perfcaria foliis fa- 
licis. The leaves are narrow, long, and fil- 
very white. 
6. Spotted-ftalked Arfmart, Perfcarh latifolia 
m'ltis caule maciilato. The fl:alks beautifully 
variegated with red and purple. 
7. Perennial willow-leaved Arfmart, Perfcaria 
falicis folio perennls. The leaves very long, 
and fpikes thick. 
8. Procumbent Arfmart, with leaves fpotted, 
and hoary underneath, perfcaria nmculofa 
p-o^umbens fcliis Jubtus incanis. 
GENUS XV. 
KNOTGRASS. 
pOLrGONVM. 
THE flower confills of eight filaments, three ftyles, and a three-cornered germen or rudiment of 
a fruit, placed in a cup, formed of one leaf, divided into five fegments, and thick, green on 
the back, and white or redifli on the infide. The ftalks are jointed and procumbent. 
Linnaeus places this among the c5tandria tri^pia. 
I. Common Knotgrafs. 
Polygonum vulgare. 
The root is fibrous. 
The ftalks are numerous, green, jointed, weak, 
and procumbent ; and thry have many branches. 
The leaves are oblong, of a pale gresn, ob- 
tufe, and undivide'd. 
The flowers ftand in their bofoms ; and are 
white, with a tinge of red. 
It is common by way-fides, and flowers in 
July. 
C. Bauhine calls it Polygonum latifolium. 
The leaves of this plant are fometimes fmall 
and narrow, at others fliort and broader. This 
depends upon the place of growth ; but, under 
thefe different appearances, it has pafled upon 
botanifts as two other diftlnft fpecies, called 
brevi aKgufto, aadrotuJidofelio. 
2. Narrow-leaved Knotgrafs. 
Polygonum angujlo et gramineo folio. 
The root is fibrous. 
The ftalks are^numerous, a foot in length, va- 
1 
rioufly branched, weak, and fcattered over the 
ground. 
The leaves are very narrow, and an inch or 
two in length i fo that they appear graiTy, 
The flowers are fmall and whiiifli. 
It is common in wafl:e grounds, flowering in 
June. 
C. Bauhine calls it Polygonum angufio et cblong.o 
folio. 
3. Sea-Knotgrafs. 
Polygonum maritimum. 
The root is fibrous. 
The ftalks are numerous, and fpread upon the 
ground. 
The leaves are fmall, oblong, and ol a greyilli 
green. 
The flowers are large and white. 
We have it on our fea-coaIVs, flowering in 
May. 
C. Bauhine calls it Polygonum marinum majus. 
All the fpecies are afl:ringenr. A decoiftion of 
the common knotgrafs is excellent againft loofc- 
nefTes with bloody fl:ools. 
GENUS 
