1098 PLANTAGINACEAE 



many or clustered. Spikes elongated or abbreviated, sometimes conspicuously bracted. 

 Calyx -lobes equal or two larger than the others. Corolla rather inconspicuous, during 

 anthesis, at least, salverform or nearly rotate, constricted at the throat, the two lateral 

 lobes exterior. Stamens exserted or included : filaments usually capillary. Capsule more 

 or less membranous. Seeds with flattened or concave faces. Plantain. 



Flowers mainly dioecious : corolla-lobes erect or closed over the capsules. 

 Stamens 2 : leaves linear to filiform. 



Capsule about twice as long as the calyx : seeds 10-30. 1. P. heterophylla. 



Capsule slightly surpassing the calyx : seeds 2-4. 2. P. elongata. 



Stamens 4 : leaves with comparatively broad blades. 



Bracts and calyx-lobes obtuse : seeds golden yellow. 3. P. Virginica. 



Bracts and calyx-lobes acute or acuminate : seeds red or fuscous. 



Bracts and calyx-lobes acutish : seeds fuscous. 4. P. occidentalis. 



Bracts and calyx-lobes acuminate : seeds dark red. 5. P. rhodosperma.' 



Flowers perfect : corolla-lobes spreading or reflexed on top of the capsules. 

 Annuals ; heterogenous : flowers mostly cleistogamous. 



Bracts not aristate. not over two times as long as the flowers. 



Bracts lanceolate to triangular, comparatively wide at the base. 



Plants usually spreading : spikes delicate : corolla-lobes less than 2 



mm. long. 6. P. lanatifolia. 



Plants usually erect : spikes coarse : corolla-lobes more than 2 mm. long. 



Plants glabrous or nearly so, drying dark brown. 7. P. Wrightiana. 



Plants villous to tomentose, not drying dark brown. 8. P. inflexa. 



Bracts linear-subulate to narrowly lanceolate, narrow at the base. 



Plants villous, drying dark brown : spikes coarse, thick, conspicuous by 



the large corollas. 9. P. Helleri. 



Plants white-woolly, not drying dark brown : spikes narrow-cylindri- 

 cal, not conspicuous. 10. P. Purshii. 

 Bracts aristate, two or more times as long as the flowers. 



Plants lax and spreading : spikes plainly interrupted. 11. P. verticillata. 



Plants rigid and ascending or erect : spikes slightly if at all interrupted. 



Bractslinear-subulateto tapering-linear: plants not drying dark brown. 12. P. /pimdosa. 

 Bracts strictly linear, except at the apex : plants drying dark brown. 13. P. aiUtata. 

 Perennials ; proterogynous. 



Calyx-lobes various, the lower united, the upper nearly distinct. 14. P. lancculata. 



Calyx-lobes all essentially distinct. 



Lateral nerves of the leaf-blades free and remote from the midrib. 



Spikes interrupted throughout : bracts very small. 15. P. sparsiflora. 



Spikes coiUinuous at least above the base : bracts large. 



Capsules conic or oblong-conic, circumscissile below the middle. 16. P. Rugelii. 

 Capsules ovoid, circumscissile at about the middle. 17. P. major. 



Lateral nerves of the leaf-blades partially confluent with the midrib. 18. P. cordata. 



1. Plantago heterophylla Nutt. Annual, slender, glabrous or sparingly puberulent. 

 Leaves basal, 2-18 cm. long ; blades linear or nearly filiform, acute, entire or with several 

 remote teeth or spreading narrow lobes, narrowed to the dilated base : scapes usually 

 numerous, ascending or spreading, 2-2.5 cm. long, equalling or surpassing the leaves : 

 spikes slender, 2-15 cm. long, loosely-flowered, interrupted at maturity : bracts ovate, 

 1.5-2 mm. long, blunt: flowers dioecious or polygamous: calyx-lobes oval to rhombic- 

 obovate, about 1.5 mm. long, very obtuse, scarious-margined, mostly shorter than the bracts : 

 corolla glabrous; lobes erect, ovate, 0.5 mm. long, acute: capsules oblong, 3-3.5 mm. 

 long, about twice as long as the calyx-lobes, circumscissile below the middle : seeds 10-30, 

 mainly 0.5-0.7 mm. long, dark red. 



In moist soil, New Jersey to Florida, Texas and southern California. Spring and summer. 



2. Plantago elongata Pursh. Annual, slender, sparingly pubescent. Leaves 

 basal, several 2-12 cm. long ; blades linear or nearly filiform, blunt-tipped, entire, 

 obscurely 1-nerved, sometimes early deciduous : scapes usually several together, nearly 

 filiform, 5-25 cm. long, surpassing the leaves, often glabrate above : spikes rather loosely- 

 flowered, slender: bracts ovate, 1-1.3 mm. long, acutish: flowers dioecious or polyga- 

 mous: calyx-lobes oval to obovate, 1.3-1.5 mm. long, obtuse, about equalling the bracts 

 in length, scarious-margined : corolla glabrous ; lobes erect, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate : 

 capsules oblong or ovoid-oblong, about 2 mm. long, slightly surpassing the calyx-lobes, 

 circumscissile below the middle : seeds 2-4, 1-1.5 mm. long, dark red. [P. pusilla Nutt.] 



In dry sandy soil, Connecticut to Oregon, Virginia, Louisiana and Te.xas. Spring and summer. 



3. Plantago Virginica L. Annual or biennial, very variable, glabrate to rather 

 coarsely pubescent with 1-7-septate hairs. Leaves basal, sju-eading or ascending, 1-15 cm. 

 long ; blades spatulate to obovate or elliptic, obtuse or acutish, entire or repand-denticulate, 

 3-5-nerved, narrowed into margined petioles or nearly sessile : scapes erect or ascending, 

 0.5-20 dm. tall, mucli surpassing the leaves: spikes dense, sometimes interrupted below : 

 flowers dioecious : bracts linear-lanceolate to lanceolate : calyx-lobes oblong or ovate, 2-2.5 

 mm. long, obtuse, scarious-margined, surpassing the bracts: corollas various, those of 

 staminate flowers with spreading lobes, those of pistillate flowers with lobes usually un. 



