Small Water Dock, U M E X Maritimus.
RUMEX Linn. Gen. PL H e x An d r ia T r ig y n ia .
1 ' Cal. 3. phyllus. Petalag.; conniventia. Sent. 1. triquetrum.
Raii Syn. Gen. 5. H erbæ f lo r e im p e r f e c t o seu st am in eo vel apetalo pot ius;
RUMEX maritimus floribus hermaphroditis : valvulis dentatis graniferis, foliis linearibus. Linrii
* fiSyfi.Vegetab.fi.285. Sfi. PL 478. FI. Suede, w.313.
LAPATHUM petiolis latefcentibuS, foliis longe lanceolatis, floribus verticillatis verrucous. Haller
; Hifi. n. 1590.
LAPATHUM aquaticum, anguftiflime acuminato folio. Boc. mus. 2. fi. 142. t. 115.
LAPATHUM aureum glomerulis denfis. Pet. Herb. T. 2. fig. 8.
ANTHOXANTHON. J. B. 11. 988. anguftifolium polyfpermon. M err et. Pin.
LAPATHUM aureum. Pet. herb. £. 2. ƒ. 7. longo anguftoque folio, Anthoxantho plurimo accedens,
verticillis rarioribuscaulem cingentibus, femine majori. Raii Syn. fi. 142; Golden Dock;
Hudfion Fl.Angl. ed. 2. fi. 155.
Lightfoot FI. Scot. fi. 118.
reddilh
our, its
*IX perennis, fufiformis, foris ex rubo fufea, in- $ ROOT perennial and tapering, externally of a
I juS ruberrima, fapore adftringente, et ingrato. % brown, internally of a bright red col
A tafte aftringent and unpleafant.
ill IS bi aut tripedalis, ramofus, rubicundus, ful- | STA LK from two to three feet high, branched, of a
B catus, fcabriufculus. \ reddilh colour, grooved-, and {lightly rough;
ilA radicalia longe petiolata, dodrantalia aut pe- X LEAVES next the root Handing oh long footftalks, ob-
dalia, oblongo lanceolata, bafi paululum an- <> ' long and lanceolate, a little narrowed at the
’ guftata, e viridi cterulefcentia, planiufcula, | bafe, of a blueilh green colour, flattilh, but
margine undulato-crenata, fufieriora lineari- $ flightly waved and notched on the edge, the
lanceolata, fuperne fere avenia, plerumque | tofi leaves of a lhape betwixt linear and lance-*,
furfum curvata. ? olate, having on the upper fide fcarce any
<> appearance of veins, and ufually bent up-
^ wards,. ^ ■ c 1
bRES fepius flavefeentes, circa caulem in denfis et <> FLOWERS moftly of a yellowifh colour, placed a-
I numerofis glomerulis verticillatim difpofiti. | round the ftalk in numerous thick whirls.
|YX: Pe r i a n th i u m triphyllum, foliolis lanceo- | CAL YX: a P e r i a n t h i u m of three leaveSj which are
1 I'ati.ladc s,p erreecÊilsi!s , ccoonnccaavvisis. , Dpaauulluiilluumm ininccuurrvvisis. . x
ROLLA: Pe t a la tria, ovato-lanceolata, viridia,
margine prope bafin duobus aut tribus denti-
bus fetaceis inftruéta, granifera, granulis,
adultis, oblongis, tumidis, majufeulis, fig.
lanceolate, upright, hollow, and bent a little
inwards.
COROLLA: three P e t a l s ; oval and pointed, o f a
i • green colour, the edge near the bottom fur-
_ niflied with two or three fine, long teeth, the ■ \ valves when full grown producing grains
> which, are oblong, tumid and rather large.
| fig, 1. 2 .
lAMINA: Fil am e n t a fex, capillaria, breviflima; ^STAMINA: fix Filaments very fine, (hort; A n-
A nther^e oblongae, ereftae, didymze, flavae. | t h e r /E oblong, upright, double, and yeh
a low.
ItILLUM: G ermen trigonum; S t y l i tres, ca- | PISTILLUM: G ermen three cornered; S t y l e s
pillares, inter rimas petalorum conniventium three, very {lender, projefting from betwixt
exferd; S t ig m a t a laciniata. | the jundlures of the clofed petals, S t ig m a -
i
jRICARPIUM nullum.
MEN unicum, triquetrum, nitidun i f f ® 3-
$ T a jagged.
0 SEED-VESSEL none.
, corolla inclu- | SEED fingle, three-cornered, Alining, contained with-
<j> in the clofed corolla, fig. 3.
[OFall the different fpecies of Docks which this country produces, this feems to have been the leaft underftoqd;
fare its chara&eriftic marks not lefs ftriking, nor its varieties more remarkable than any of the other fpecies;
IFhat our plant is the Rumex maritimus of Linnaeus no one can doubt that reads his defeription in the Flora
:a; the chara&er of the radix rubra, fo peculiar to it, which is given in the SyfiemaVegetabilium, is an ad-
lal confirmation of it.
[The three fpecies o f Lapathum, viz. n. 4, 5, 10, added to thofe of R a y by D il l e n iu s , in the third edition of I Synopfis and marked with an afterilk are doubtlefs to be referred to this plant, and confidered only asfome
jits varieties.
[The name of maritimus feems but ill applied, as it is by no means confined in its growth to the Sea fliore,
prmpalufiris, which Mr. Hudson has given to a fpecies which I profefs myfelf totally ignorant of, would
Paps be more fuitable for it.
pe plant here figured grows in the greateft plenty in the neighbourhood of my Garden, St. George’s Fields, fa
had frequent opportunities of obferving it in all its ftates, its moll ftriking charafter when in flower
. -s the number and narrownefs of the leaves on its branches; when viewed more clofely, we are ftruck
the number and length of the teeth on the edges of the feed valves, which valves are frequently though not
pys of a yellowilh colour and furnilhed with remarkably large and long grains ; if any doubt remains refpe&ing
f fpecies, the root on being cut acrofs exhibits a beautiful red colour equal to any carmine, and which is a
.Miter that I have hitherto always found to be conftant to this fpecies.
P® natural fituation o f the Rumex maritimus. is a moift one; thus we find it on the edges o f wet ditches 3 rivulets, tho’ not unfrequently in paftures or drier ground, on the former, particularly i f the fituation be {hel-
iK and the foil luxuriant, it will grow to the height o f three or four feet, having radical leaves a foot long and
pinches broad, which when young aflume a fomewhat glaucous appearance, in the latter it feldom grows
l re,han a foot high, and then its radical leaves are about fix inches long, and one inch or fomewhat more
jN (outlines o f both thefe leaves are reprefented on the plate) but in neither o f thefe fituations does itlo fe
■ c arafler above fpecified. . ^
If lsnot only in the neighbourhood of St. George’s Fields that I have noticed this fpecies, but in fimilar fitua-
jf’sjn many places around London, and I doubt not but it is a very common plant in many parts, of England,
P tlowcrs jn July, Auguft, and September; I remember once to have feen the leaves having red veins like
£e °'l the Rumex fianguineus. ......... • . '
I | ®ne of thofe Docks which are the leaft noxious to the Farmer; the roots I have been informed are fre-
1 y i l l up and fold for thofe of the {harp pointed Dock.