LORANTHACEAE 1101 
long, glabrous or nearly so, loosely-flowered : bracts ovate, very much shorter than the 
calyx-lobes : flowers perfect : calyx-lobes orbicular to obovate, about 2 mm. long, rounded, 
each with a green midrib and scarious margins : corolla with tube slightly surpassing the 
calyx, glabrous; lobes reflexed : capsules oblong-cylindric, 3-4 mm. long, nearly twice as 
long as the calyx-lobes, circumscissile at the lower third : seeds 2, fully 2 mm. long. 
In low pine lands, North Carolina to Florida. Spring to fall. 
16. Plantago Rugélii Decne. Perennial, bright green, glabrous or minutely pubes- 
cent. Leaves basal, 5-40 cm. long ; petioles flattened or channeled on the upper side, usually 
purple at the base ; blades broadly ovate to oblong, longer than the petioles or sometimes 
shorter, 5-7-nerved, entire or shallowly toothed, cuneately or abruptly narrowed at the base : 
scapes erect or ascending, solitary or several together, often surpassing the leaves, 10—50 
em. tall: spikes 2-30 cm. long, sometimes broadly bracted near the base : bracts fully one 
half as long as the calyx-lobes, acute: flowers perfect: sepals oblong, acute, 2-2.5 mm. 
long, keeled, often scarious-margined : corolla glabrous ; tubes slightly surpassing the calyx ; 
lobes spreading: capsules conic or oblong-conic, 4-4.5 mm. long, circumscissile below the 
middle: seeds 4-9, 1.5-2 mm. long. 
In woods and waste places, Maine to Ontario, North Dakota, Florida and Texas, and introduced 
farther west. Spring to fall. 
17. Plantago màjor L. Perennial, glabrous or sparingly pubescent. Leaves basal, 
5-35 cm. long; petioles flattened or channeled on the upper surface, usually green at the 
base; blades ovate or oval, or rarely oblong, obtuse or acutish, 5—7-nerved, entire or 
coarsely toothed, rounded or cordate at the base, longer than the petioles or shorter : scapes 
erect, solitary or several together, surpassing the leaves, 8-40 cm. tall, rarely with several 
leaves under the spike, sometimes branched : spikes 4-20 cm. long, dense: bracts ovate, 
barely equalling the calyx-lobes: flowers perfect : calyx-lobes ovate to obovate, obtuse, not 
keeled, scarious-margined : corolla inconspicuous; tube about as long as the calyx ; lobes 
spreading or reflexed : capsules ovoid, about 3 mm. long, slightly surpassing the calyx- 
lobes, circumscissile at the middle: seeds 6-18, 0.7 mm. long. 
In waste places. throughout North America, except the extreme north. Chiefly naturalized east- 
ward from Europe. Spring to fall. 
18. Plantago cordàta Lam. Perennial, deep green, glabrous. Leaves basal, 1-4.5 
dm. long; petioles flattened, stout ; blades ovate to suborbicular, 5-30 em. long, acute or 
obtuse, 7-9-nerved, these confluent with the midrib below the middle of blade, entire or 
shallowly toothed, rounded or cordate at the base.: scapes erect, solitary or several together, 
surpassing the leaves, 15-50 cm. tall: spikes loosely-flowered, sometimes interrupted : 
bracts orbicular-ovate or reniform, 1.5-3 mm. long: calyx-lobes ovate to suborbicular, 
2.5-3 mm. long, obtuse or acutish : corolla surpassing the calyx ; lobes ovate or orbicular- 
ovate, spreading or reflexed in age: capsules globose-ovoid, 4-5 mm. long, circumscissile 
at the middle or slightly below it: seeds 1—4, 3.5-4 mm. long. 
In swamps and on wet banks, New York to Missouri, Alabama and Louisiana. Spring and 
summer. `~ 
Order 9. SANTALALES. 
Herbs, shrubs or trees, commonly parasitic on trees or on the roots of other 
plants. Leaves with expanded blades or often reduced to scales. Flowers per- 
fect or imperfect, inconspicuous, variously disposed. Calyx present, often a 
mere border. Corolla present or wanting. Androecium mostly of as many sta- 
mens as there are petals or sepals, or twice as many. Gynoecium compound, 
more or less inferior. Fruita drupe, a nut or a berry. Endosperm usually pre- 
sent, fleshy. 
Stamens as many as the petals or sepals : ovules not freely pendulous from an erect placenta. 
Leaves opposite : fruit a berry : tree-parasites. Fam. 1. LORANTHACEAE. 
Leaves mainly alternate: fruit a drupe or a nut: root-parasites. Fam. 2. SANTALACEAE. 
Stamens twice as many as the petals, except in Schoepfia: ovules freely pen- 
dulous from the erect placenta. Fam. 3. OLACACEAE. 
FAMILY 1. LORANTHACEAE D. Don. MISTLETOE FAMILY. 
Green parasitie shrubs or herbs, with chlorophyll-bearing tissues, growing 
mostly on woody plants from whose sap they take food through specialized roots 
called haustoria. Leaves mostly opposite, sometimes reduced to scales. Flow- 
ers regular, solitary or variously disposed, monoecious or dioecious. Calyx 
often sessile, truncate or lobed. Corolla of 2-6 more or less united petals. An- 
droecium of 2-6 stamens. Anthers 2-celled or confluently 1-celled. Gynoe- 
