Rumex maritimus. Small Water Dock. 
RUMEX Lin, Gen. PL Hexakdria Trigynia. 
Cal. 3. phyllus. Petala 3. conniventia. i. triquetrum. 
Rail Syn. Gen. 5. Herb.® flore imperfecto seu stamineo vel apetalo potius. 
RUMEX maritimus floribus hermaphroditis : valvulis dentatis graniferis, foliis linearibus. Lrn. Syfl. 
Vegetah. p. 285. Sp. Pl. 478. F/. Suecic, n. 313. 
LAPATHUM petiolis latefcentibus, follis longe lanceolatis, floribus verticillatis verrucofis, Haller 
hljl, n. 1590. 
LAPATHUM aquaticum, anguftiffime acuminato folio. Bocc. mus. 2. p. 142. t. 115. 
LAPATHUM aureum glomerulis denfis. Pef. Herb. "T. i» jig. 8. 
ANTHOXANTHON. JB. ii 988. anguftifolium polyfpermon. Merret pin. 
LAPxATHUM aureum Pet. herb. i. 2. f. 7. longo anguftoque folio, Anthoxantho plurimo accedens, 
verticillis rarioribus caulem cingentibus, femine majori, Raii Syn. f. 142. Golden Dock. 
Hudfon. FI. Angi. eil. 2. p. 155. 
Lightfoot FI. Scot. p. 118. 
RADIX perennis, fufiformis, foris ex rubro fufca, in- ? 
tus ruberrima, fapore adftringente, et ingrato. | 
T 
CAULIS bi aut tripedalis, ramofus, rubicundus, fui- | 
catus, fcabriufculus. j 
FOLIA radical] a longe petiolata, dodrantalia aut peda- i 
lia, oblongo lanceolata, ball paululum anguf- | 
tata, e viridi c$rulefcentia, planiufcula, mar- ? 
gine undulato-crenata, fuperiora linearl-lance- | 
olata, fuperne fere avenla, plerumque furfum j 
curvata. ? 
% 
? 
t 
FLORES fapius fiavefcentes, circa caulem in denfis et | 
numerolis glomerulis vertlcillatim difpofiti. f 
CALYX : Perianthium triphyllum, foliolis lanceo- ? 
latis, eredis, concavis, paululum incurvis. | 
I 
COROLLA I Petala tria, ovato-lanceolata, viridia, | 
margine prope bafin duobus aut tribus denti- | 
bus fetaceis inftruda, granifera, granulis, ? 
adultis fuper valvulis, oblongis, tumidis, ma- I 
jufculis. 7^. I. 2. f 
t 
STxAMINA : Filamenta fex, capillaria, breviflima ; | 
Anther® oblongte, eredas, didym«, flavte. t 
t 
PISTILLUM : Germen trigonum ; Styli tres, ca- | 
pillares, inter rimas petalorum conniventium i 
exferti ; Stigmata laciniata | 
I 
PERICARPIUM nullum. | 
SEMEN unicum, triquetrum, nitidum, corolla indu- | 
fum.7^. 3. t 
ROOT perennial and tapering, externally of a reddilh 
brown, internally of a bright red colour, its 
tafte aftringent and unplealant. 
STALK from two to three feet high, branched, of a 
reddifh colour, grooved, and flightlv rough. 
LEAVES next the root ftanding on long fooflalks, ob- 
long and lanceolate, a little narrowed at the 
bafe, of a blucifh green colour, flattiih, but 
flightly waved and notched on the edge, the 
top leaves of a fhape betwixt linear and lance- 
olate, having on the upper fide fcarce any 
appearance of veins, and ufually bent up- 
wards. 
FLOWERS moftly of a yellowifli colour, placed a- 
round the ftalk in numerous thick whirls. 
CALYX: a Periathium of three leaves, which are 
lanceolate, upright, hollow, and bent a little 
inwards. 
COROLLA: three Petals; oval and pointed, of a 
green colour, the edge near the bottom fur- 
nilhed with two or three flue, long teeth, the 
valves when full grown producing grains 
which are oblong, tumid and rather large. 
fg. I. 2. 
STAMINA: fix Filaments very fine and very Ihort; 
Anther® oblong, upright, double and yel- 
low. 
PISTILLUM ; Germen three corner’d; Styles three, 
very {lender, proje£Ung from betwixt the 
junftures of the clofed petals, Stigmata 
jagged. 
SEED-VESSEL none. 
SEED_ fingle, three corner'd, fiiinlng, contain’d with- 
in the clofed corolla, jig. 3. 
OF all the different fpecies of Docks which this country produces, this feems to have been tlie leaf! underffood ; 
yet are its charafteriftic marks not lefs ftriking, nor its varieties more remarkable than any of the other fpecies. 
That our plant is the Rumex maritimus cALinnaus no one can doubt that reads his defcription in the Plora Suecica", 
the charadter of the radix rubra fo peculiar to it which is given in the Syjiema Vegetabilium, is an additional 
confirmation of it. 
Xht thstt oi Lapathum viz. n. 4. 5. 10 added to thofe of Ray by Dillenius in the third edition of 
the Synopfis and mark’d with an afterilk are doubtlefs to be referred to this plant and confidered only as fome of 
its varieties. 
The name of maritimus feems but ill applied, as it is by no means confined in its growth to the Sea ffiorc, 
the term which Mr. Hudson has given to a fpecies which I profefs my felf totally ignorant of would 
perhaps be more fuitahle for it. 
The plant here figured grows In the greatefl plenty in the neighbourhood of my Garden St. Georges Fields, fo 
that I have had frequent opportunities of obferv’ing it in all its itates, its moll ffriking charafler when in flower 
or feed is the number and narrownefs of the leaves on its branches ; when view’d more clofely, we are {truck 
with the number and length of the teeth on the edges of the feed valves, which valves are frequently though not 
always of a yellovvilh colour and furnilhed with remarkably large and long grains, if any doubt remains rel'pedling 
the fpecies, the root on being cut acrofs exhibits a beautifull red colour equal to any carmine, and which is a 
charadler that I have hitherto always found to be conftant to this fpecies. 
The natural fituation of the Rumex maritimus is a moifl one ; thus we find it on the e.dges of wet ditches, 
and rivulets, tho’ not unfrequently in paftures or drier ground, on the former particularly if the fituation be flicl- 
tered and the foil luxuriant it will grow to the height of three or four feet, having radical leaves a foot long, and 
three inches broad which when young aflume a fomewhat glaucous appearance, in the latter it feldom grows 
more than a foot high and then its radical leaves are about fix inches long and one inch or fomewhat more broad, 
(outlines of both thcfe leaves are reprefented on the plate) but In. neither of thefe fituations does it lofe its cha- 
rafter above fpecificd. 
It is not only in the neighbourhood of St. Georges Fields that I have noticed this fpecies but in fimilar fitua- 
tions in many places around London, and 1 doubt not but it is a very common plant in many parts of England. 
It flowers in July, Auguft and September ; I remember once to have feen the leaves having red veins like 
thofe of the Rumex fanguineus. 
It is one of thofe Docks which are the leaft noxious to the Farmer; the roots I have been informed are fre- 
quently dug up and fold for tliofe of the lharp pointed Dock. 
