Botanical Magazine 106 - 1880.pdf - hibiscus.org

TAB. 6476.
POLYGONUM COMPACTUM.
Native of Japan.
Nat. Ord. POLYGONACEíE.•Tribe POLYGONEN.
Genus POLYGONUM, Zinn.; (Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. PL vol. iii. p. 99, ined.
POLYGONTJM (Pleuropterus) compactum ; caulibus decumbentibus, ramis suberectis
rigidis sulcatis foliosis, foliis glabris breviter petiolatis late ovatis breviter cus-
pidatis rigidis basi late truncato-cordatis, marginibus undulatis, nervis subtus
reticulatis, ocbreis brevissiruis deciduis, racemis axillaribus et terminalibus
erectis strictis gracilibus simplicibus multifloris puberulis, floribus confertis,
bracteis minutis obtusis multifloris, pedicellis capillaribus basin versus articu-
latis, periantbio fructífero cuneato, segmentis 3 exterioribus auctis carina
dorsali in alam latam in pedicello desinentem expansa, stigmatibus 3.
P. cuspidatum, Sieb, et Zuce, var. compactum, Hort.
The Japanese and JS". Chinese Polygonums of the section
Pleuropterus, are amongst the most ornamental herbaceous
plants of the garden ; some of them, as P. cuspidatum and
Sachaliense, throwing up, in the summer time, branches so
numerous, long (often eight feet high), and strong, as to
become truly bushes. They are of graceful habit, easily
grown, perfectly hardy, and increase by underground
suckers with such rapidity that the larger sorts are apt
to prove troublesome monopolists of the soil. Of these
Polygonums the two named above are commonly culti-
vated, and both are erect; a third is a climber, the P.
multiflorum, Thunb. To these must be added the subject
of the present plate, which has long been cultivated at Kew
under the name of P. compactum, and which, though closely
allied to P. cuspidatum, and possibly a form of it, differs in
its dwarf size, decumbent lowly habit, small rigid leaves with
waved margins, and strict erect simple female racemes.
Like all its near allies, as far as I have observed them, it is
dioecious, the male plants having stamens which are longer
than the perianth, and a minute rudiment of an ovary
without stigmas, and the females having very short stamens
EEIiRT/AEY 1ST, 1880.