Rumex nepalensis Spreng.

Habit

Perennial herb

Family Description

Herbs, subshrubs or climbers, sometimes spinous. leaves simple, entire, margins rarely sinuate or serrulate, alternate or rarely subopposite, venation pinnate; stipules usually united around stem to form sheath (ocrea). Flowers in racemes, panicles or cluster, actinomorphic, bixexual, sometimes unixexual, jointed on to pedicel; inflorescence rarely bulbiliferous; perianth segments 3-6, usually connate below, sometimes enlarging in fruit, membranous, fleshy or coriaceous. Stamens 1-9, adnate to perianth. Ovary superior, unilocular; styles 2-3, simple, minutely capitate, rarely hooked or fimbriate; ovule solitary, basal. Fruit a trigonous, flattened or biconvex achene.

Genus Description

Erect annual or perennial herbs. Leaves ovate, lanceolate or hastate; ocreae membranous, deciduous. Flowers bisexual or unisexual, in axillary clusters or in whorls, forming simple or panicled racemes. perianth segments 6, the outer 3 smaller, not accrescent, the inner 3 larger, accrescent and envoloping fruit. Stamens 6. Ovary trigonous; styles 3, fimbriate. Achenes sharply angular.

Species description

Perennial herb. Stems 0.5-1.5m. Leaves oblong-ovate, lower ones 8-20 x 4-10cm, obtuse or subacute, base cordate, puberulous beneath; upper ones smaller; petioles 6-15cm; ocreae 2-4cm. Outer perianth segments oblanceolate, 2-2.5mm, entire; inner ones ovate, c 3 x 2mm in flower, toothed in lower half, 5-6 x 4mm in fruit, one of them usually with an oblong median tubercle, prominently veined and surrounded by hook-tipped bristles c 2mm long. Achenes 3-4 x 2mm.