Genus i. 



PLANTAIN FAMILY. 



245 



Family 35. PLANTAGINACEAE Lindl. Xat. Syst. Ed. 2, 267. 1836. 



Plantain Family. 



Annual or perennial, mostly acaulescent or short-stemmed, rarely stoloniferous 

 herbs, with basal, or, in the caulescent species, opposite or alternate leaves, and 

 small perfect polygamous or monoecious flowers, bracteolate in dense terminal 

 long-scaped spikes or heads, or rarely solitary. Calyx 4-parted, inferior, per- 

 sistent, the segments imbricated. Corolla hypogynous, scarious or membranous, 

 mostly marcescent, 4-lobed. Stamens 4 or 2 ( only 1 in an Andean genus ), inserted 

 on the tube or throat of the corolla; filaments filiform, exserted or included; 

 anthers versatile, 2-celled, the sacs longitudinally dehiscent. Ovary sessile, supe- 

 rior, 1-2-celled, or falsely 3-4-celled. Style filiform, simple, mostly longitudinally 

 stigmatic. Ovules i-several in each cavity of the ovary, peltate, amphitropous. 

 Fruit a pyxis, circumscissile at or below 7 the middle, or an indehiscent nutlet. 

 Seeds i-several in each cavity of the fruit ; endosperm fleshy ; cotyledons narrow. 



Three genera and over 225 species, of wide geographic distribution. 

 Flowers in terminal spikes or heads; fruit a pyxis. 1. Plantago. 



Flowers monoecious, the staminate solitary, peduncled, the pistillate sessile among the linear leaves ; 

 fruit indehiscent. 2. Littorella^ 



i. PLANTAGO [Tourn.] L. Sp. PI. 112. 1753. 

 Acaulescent or leafy-stemmed herbs, the scapes arising from the axils of the basal or 

 alternate leaves, bearing terminal spikes or heads of small greenish or purplish flowers 

 (flowers solitary in a few exotic species). Calyx-segments equal, or two of them larger. 

 Corolla salverform, the tube cylindric, or constricted at the throat, the limb spreading in 

 anthesis. Fruit a pyxis, mostly 2-celled. Seeds various. [The Latin name.] 



Over 200 species, of wide distribution. Besides the following, some 6 others occur in western 

 North America. Known as Plantain, Ribwort or Roadweed. Type species: Plantago major L. 



* Plants acaulescent; flowers spicate or capitate at the ends of scapes. 

 Corolla-lobes spreading or reflexed in fruit, not closed over the top of the pyxis. 

 Leaves ovate, lanceolate or oblong. 



Seeds several or many in each pyxis. 



Pyxis ovoid, circumscissile at about the middle. 

 Pyxis oblong, circumscissile much below the middle. 

 Seeds 2-4 in each pyxis. 



Leaves all narrowed at the base, parallel-ribbed. 

 Seeds excavated on the inner side. 

 Seeds flat or but slightly concave on the inner side. 

 Spike very dense ; leaves pubescent. 



Lower flowers scattered ; leaves glabrous or very nearly so. 

 Leaves, or some of them, cordate; veins starting from the midrib. 

 Leaves linear or filiform. 



Leaves fleshy ; plant maritime. 



Leaves not fleshy ; plants not maritime. 



Spike densely tomentose ; bracts usually not longer than flowers. 

 Plant green and glabrate ; bracts much longer than the flowers. 

 Corolla-lobes erect and closed over the top of the pyxis. 

 Leaves spatulate to obovate ; stamens 4. 

 Leaves linear-filiform ; stamens 2. 



Capsule about 4-seeded, slightly exceeding the calyx. 

 Capsule 7-30-seeded, twice as long as the calyx. 

 ** Stem erect, leafy; flowers capitate at ends of axillary peduncles. 



1. Plantago major L. Common or Greater 

 Plantain. Dooryard Plantain. Fig. 3898. 



Plantago major L. Sp. PI. 112. 1753. 



Perennial, glabrous or somewhat pubescent ; rootstock 

 short, thick, erect. Leaves long-petioled, rather firm in 

 texture, mostly ovate, obtuse or acutish, entire, or coarsely 

 dentate, i'-io' long, 3-11-ribbed; scapes 2-3 high; spike 

 linear-cylindric, usually very dense, commonly blunt, 2-10' 

 long, 3"-4" thick ; flowers perfect, proterogynous ; sepals 

 broadly ovate to obovate, scarious on the margins, one- 

 half to two-thirds as long as the ovoid obtuse or subacute, 

 5-16-seeded pyxis, which is circumscissile at about the 

 middle; stamens 4. 



In waste places, nearly throughout North America. In part 

 naturalized from Europe, but indigenous in the North and on 

 salt meadows. Also in the West Indies. Small leaves are occa- 

 sionally borne near the bases of the spikes; spikes rarely 

 branched. May-Sept. Way-side or round-leaf plantain. Broad- 

 leaf. Hen-plant. Lamb's-foot. Way-bread. Healing-blade. 



