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 Rug61ii 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 togetlier, often surpassing tiie leaves, 10-50 

 cm. 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 scarions-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 major L. Perennial, glabrous or sparingly pubescent. Leaves basal, 

 5-35 cm. long ; petioles flattened or clianneled 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- 

 M'ard from Europe. Spring to fall. 



18. Plantago cordata Lam. Perennial, deep green, glabrous. Leaves basal, 1-4.5 

 dm. long ; petioles flattened, stout ; blades ovate to suborbicular, 5-30 cm. long, acute or 

 obtuse, 7-9-nerved, these confluent with tlie 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. S ANT AL ALES. 



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 thei'e are petals or sepals, or twice as many. Gynoecium compound, 

 more or less inferior. Fruit a 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. Santalaceak. 



Stamens twice as many as the petals, except in SchoejJjia : ovules freely pen- 

 dulous from the erect placenta. " Fam. 3. Olacaceae. 



Family 1. LORANTHACEAE D. Don. Mistletoe Family. 



Green parasitic shrubs or herl>s, 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- 



