344 PLANTAGINACEAE. 



site or alternate, leaves, and small perfect, polygamous 

 or monoecious flowers, bracteolate in dense terminal 

 long-scaped spikes or heads, or rarely solitary. Calyx 

 persistent, 4-parted. Corolla hypogynous, scarious or 

 membranous, mostly marcescent, 4-lobed. Stamens 4 or 

 2, inserted on the corolla-tube or throat; filaments fili- 

 form; anthers versatile, 2-celled, longitudinally dehis- 

 cent. Ovary superior, 1-2-celled or falsely 3-4-celled. 

 Style filiform, simple, mostl}^ longitudinally stigmatic. 

 Ovules 1-several in each cell. Fruit a membranous or 

 coriaceous capsule, circumscissile at or below the middle. 

 Seeds peltate. 



1. PLANTAGO L. Plantain. 

 Characters of the family. 



Corolla closed over the mature capsule, forming a 



beak. 1. P. hirtella. 



Corolla remaining expanded. 

 Perennials. 



Leaves oblong-lanceolate, more or less vil- 

 lous; seeds 2. 2. P. lanceolata. 

 Leaves ovate, glabrous or sparsely pubescent ; 



seeds several. 3. P. major. 



Annuals. 



Leaves silky-pubescent. 4. P. erecta. 



Leaves glabrous. 5. P. higelovii. 



\. P. hirtella H. B. K. Perennial from a thick root, hirsute, 

 especially the scape and leaves; leaves oblong-oblanceolate to nar- 

 rowly oblong, 5 dm. long or less, tapering below to a short petiole, 

 sparsely dentate; scape usually longer than the leaves, stout, erect; 

 spike 15-30 cm, long, dense, except at base; corolla persistent, its 

 lobes closed over the capsule; seeds 3. 



Occasional in low ground in the coajst valleys. 



2. P. lanceolata L. More or less villous with tufts of brownish 

 hairs at the base of the leaves; leaves erect or spreading, oblong- 

 lanceolate, tapering at base into a slender petiole, strongly 3-5- 

 ribbed, 3 dm. long or less, entire; scapes exceeding the leaves, 

 channeled, slender; spike very dense, becoming cylindric, 10 cm. 

 long or less; sepals ovate, with green midrib and scarious margins; 

 pyxis oblong; ovary obtuse, 2-seeded, circumscissile at about the 

 middle. 



Common in low ground throughout our range. 



3. P. major L. Glabrous or sometimes sparsely pubescent; 

 leaves spreading, long-petioled, mostly ovate, narrowed or rounded 



