no THE FLORA OF THE ALPS 



The three famihar English species of Plantain or Rib- 

 Grass, P. major ^ L., lanceolata, L., and media, L., are 

 equally abundant in Switzerland, in meadows and by 

 road-sides. The following also occur : — P. alpina, L. ; 

 scape 2-6 in., spike oblong-cylindrical, corolla-tube hairy, 

 leaves linear, 3-nerved ; alpine pastures. P. serpentina^ 

 Vill. ; scape 6-12 in., spike elongated, cylindrical, leaves 

 thick, glaucous, root-stalk elongated ; Southern Switzer- 

 land, Jura, Tirol ; rare. P. ^nontana. Lam. ; scape 3-6 

 in., spike few-flowered, corolla-tube glabrous, leaves 

 lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, glabrous, many-nerved; 

 pastures; Switzerland, Jura, Dauphiny, Pyrenees. P. 

 fuscescenSj Jord. ; scape 3-6 in., spike many-flowered, 

 with large bracts, leaves lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, 

 many -nerved, silky; rare; Zermatt, Loueche, Tirol, 

 Piedmont, Dauphiny. P. arenaria, W. K. ; stem pros- 

 trate, scapes in the axils of stem-leaves ; very rare ; 

 Geneva. P. Cynops, L. ; stem woody, with axillary 

 scapes ; Switzerland, rare (Freiburg), Jura, Dauphin}^, 

 Pyrenees. P. ai^gentea, Chaix ; spike very dense, nearly 

 globular, stem 8-16 in., bracts acuminate, leaves linear- 

 lanceolate, covered on both sides by silky hairs; alpine 

 rocks ; Dauphiny. P. mo7tosperma, Pourr. ; resembling 

 the last, but spike more elongated, not so dense, bracts 

 oval ; high valleys ; Pyrenees. 



2. LiTTORELLA, L. 



Flowers unisexual; female flowers in few -flowered 

 spikes ; male flowers solitary ; stamens hypogynous. 

 Aquatic herbs. 



L. lacustris, L. ; filaments very long and slender; wet 

 places, occasional. 



