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R U M E X acutus.
Sharp Dock.
Co t
H E X A N D R 1A Trigynia.
G en . Char. Cal. 3-leaved. Petals 3, doled» Seed 1,
fuperior, naked, triangular. Stigmas many-cleft.
Spec. Char. Valves oblong, obfcurely toothed, each
bearing a prominent grain. Leaves cordato-
oblong, pointed. Clutters leafy.
S yn. Rumex acutus. Linn. Sp. Pi. 478. Sm. FI.
Brit. 391. Hudf. 135. Relh. 147.
R. paludofus. With. 354, by the defcript. Hull. 77.
Lapathum acutum. Raii. Syn- 14 2 .
/3. L . acutum minimum. Dill, in Rail Syn. 14 1 .
T H I S Rumex has been enveloped in fuch confufion, I fhould
hardly venture, without the moft certain documents, to undertake
its illuftration. It is the acutus of the Linnaean herbarium,
and agrees with the char after in Sp. PI. From Ray’s
excellent though fhort defcription there can be no doubt of its
being his Lapathum acutum. It does not agree with Mr.
Hudfon’s defcription of his paludofus, (a plant I do not pretend
to know,) but I rather believe he confounded ours with the
common Lap. viride of Dillenius under his R. acutus, and Mr.
Curtis feems to have done the fame. His figure agrees with
our plant, but his letter-prefs rather with L . viride, which is
truly a variety of R. fanguineus, only one of its valves having
a prominent grain. I have therefore perhaps too incautioufly
quoted the figure of Curtis for R. fanguineus @ in the FI. Brit.
Our genuine R. acutus feems not uncommon in marlhy
meadows. This fpecimen grew at Surlingham, below Norwich,
flowering in July. Root perennial. Stem angular, furrowed,
fmooth, rather zigzag. Leaves narrow. Branches
elongated, bearing numerous drooping flowers, almofl: always
accompanied by fmall flalked leaves. Seed fmall, enclofed in
valves, formed of the petals, which are oblong, entire, rarely
toothed at the bafe, each conftantly bearing a large red prominent
grain. The flowers are male, female, and hermaphrodite,
fome of the males having, according to Mr. Sowerby, 12
ftamina.