272 
POLYGONACEiE. 
[ Polygonum . 
\-l in. long, clasping all round the stem, the upper ones fringed at the 
tip. Spikes 2-6 to a stem, peduucled, cylindrical, 2-3 in. long; 
bracts scariose, obovate-amplexicaul, obtuse. Flowers several to each 
bract, on pedicels articulated at the tip. Perianth y 1 ^ in. long, reddish- 
white, not glandular. Styles 2. Nut lenticular. P. serratum, Poir. 
Ency. vi. 144. 
Mauritius, in the swamps of the Mare aux Yacouas, etc. Also Bourbon. 
3. P. senegalense, Meisn. in DC. Prod. xiv. 123. A stout erect 
perennial, with stems sometimes 6-8 feet high. Leaves membranous, 
short-petioled, oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, 6-9 in. long, 2-2| in. 
broad below the middle, densely glandular, not ciliated at the edge, 
obscurely pilose on the midrib below ; ochrcse membranous, f-1 
in. long, clasping all round the stem, the uppermost fringed at the tip. 
Spikes 4-8 to a stem, peduncled, cylindrical, 2-3 in. long ; bracts 
flowers and nut just like those of P. Poiretii. 
Seychelles, frequent in damp places in Mahe, etc., Wright ! Horne , 271 ! 556 ! 
Also Bourbon and Tropical Africa. 
A dock, gathered by Dr. Balfour in several valleys in the centre of Rodriguez, 
is either the north temperate Rumex crispus , Linn, or a close ally. It has stout 
erect stems 3-4 feet high, long-petioled oblong root-leaves a foot long, a large dense 
panicle with ascending branches leafy only at the lowest nodes and round-cordate 
obscurely denticulate enlarged sepals £ in. iong and broad with an oblong tubercle 
in the centre and a deltoid point. 
Order LXXXII URTICACE^:. 
Flowers monochlamydeous, rarely achlamydeous, polygamo-monoicous 
or dioicous, regular or irregular. Perianth calyx-iike, with usually 
3 or 4 lobes, which are free or united at the base. Stamens as many 
as the perianth-lobes; filaments subulate, incurved in bud, and spring- 
ing back elastically ; anthers 2-celled, with longitudinal dehiscence. 
Ovary superior or rarely united to the perianth, 1-celled ; ovule soli- 
tary, basal, erect, orthotropous ; stigma subulate or penicillate. Seed 
minute, albuminous. — Herbs or shrubs with watery juice, hairs 
often stinging, leaves petioled stipulate simple, and minute copious 
flowers in clusters or cymes. Distrib. Cosmopolitan. Species 
500. 
Female perianth polyphyllous. 
Flowers of both sexes not on a common receptacle. 
Hairs stinging. 
Annual herbs * Urtica. 
Shrub 1. Obetia. 
Hairs none (in the Mauritian species) 2. Pilea. 
Female flowers only on a discoid receptacle 3. Procris. 
Flowers of both sexes on a discoid receptacle 4. Elatostema. 
Female perianth gamophyllous. 
Stigma penicillate 5. Urera. 
