July 2, 1908.] Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W\ 573 



The Weeds of New South Wales. 



Rib-grass or Plantain [Plantago lanceolata, L.) 



J. H. MAIDEN, 



GoveriDiient B(jtani.st and Director of the Botanic Gardens, Sydney. 



For a description of the <,f^^nus Pluntago and of the Family Plantaginacese, 

 see the Flora jhistr alien sU, vol. v, page 137. 



Vernacular JVames. —"Rib-grass," or " Ribwort," because of the stout nerves 

 or ribs of the leaves ; " Plantain "' ; " Ripple Grass "' (of the United States) ; 

 "Buck or Buckthorn Plantain" (United .States); " Narrow Plantain " (in 

 comparison with the " Broad Plantain," Plantago major). Occasionally, with 

 other species, called "Lamb's Tongue." 



Botanical Description. — A herb with radical tufted leaves and a tapering 

 rootstock ; more or less woolly or bilky-hairy at the top. 



Lexioes. — Lanceolate, very variable, from under 3 to above 12 inches long, generally 

 with 5 strong very prominent parallel nerves ; rarely with more or fewer nerves. 



Flo'wer-sfalk. — Leafles.s, about as long as the leaves. 



Flowers. — Small, crowded at the top of the stalk into an ovoid or cylindrical spike, 

 h to 3 inches long, usually shore in flower, but lengthening out in fruit. 



Sepals. — 4, hairy at the tip, 2 united nearly to the top. 



Co7-ol/a. — With, a tube exceeding the calyx and -4 broad, concave spreading or 



reflexed lobes. 

 Stamens — 4, the long, thin filaments much exserted from the corolla-tube, bearing 



large mobile anthers. 



Stt//e. — Long and filiform, with 2 stigmatic lines in the upper part. 



Ovarium. — 2-celled. 



Cnpside. — Opening transversely (circumsciss) below the middle, with 2 large, black 

 shining seeds with a mucilaginous testa. 



Very common in Europe and temperate Asia, and now established in New 

 South Wales everywhere in cultivated land. 



In his iiiteresting paper " Notes on the Fertilisation of some Australian 

 and other Plants" {I'roc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., xxiii, 763 [1S9S]), Mr. A. G. 

 Hamilton discusses the evolution of the entomophiloiis form [i.e., in which the 

 pollen is carried by insects) from the anemophilcjus condition {I.e., in which 

 the pollen is carrieil by the wind). 



Bad points of this weed. — In the United States it is reputed to be one of 

 the worst weeds, particularly on light, sandy soils. It is aggressive and 

 smothering. It often conies with dirty grass or clover seed. Where there is 

 but little of it, it ran I'C eradicated with a narrow hoe. Where it is plentiful 

 the breaking up and cultivation of the land is the only method of dealing 

 with it 



