Order 80.— PLUMBAGLNAC&rE. 507 



If Can. to Ga. Common in pastures and grass lands. Easily known Dy its longer 

 lvs. tapering at the base into a broad stalk, and with from 3 to 5 strong ribs ; by 

 its shorter spike (1 to 2' long), with dark colored corollas, and whitish, projecting 

 stamens, and its slender, upright stalk (8 to 15' long) with prominent angles. 

 Flowering from May to Oct. It is freely eaten by cattle. 



5 P. sparsiflora Mx. Lvs. lanceolate or oblong, tapering at each end, petiole 

 flat ; ped. slender, terete, much longer than the lvs. ; spike long, renwttly-jlowered, 

 or interrupted; Iracts, sepals and brown petals obtuse. — Moist pine barrens, S, Car. 

 and Gii. (Curtis). Plant usually smooth often pubescent below. Flowers all sum- 

 mer. (P. interrupta Lam.) 



6 P. marftima L. Lvs. linear, channeled, nearly entire, woolly at base ; spikes 

 cylindrical, dense; scapa round; posterior sep. concave and crested on the back. — 

 Grows in salt marshes, along the coast, Me. to N. J. It has a large perennial 

 root sending up a seapo varying in height from 3' to If, and numerous, very 

 fleshy, dark green, linear leaves, deeply grooved on tho inside and 6 to 10' long. 

 Spike slender, of numerous, subimbricate, whitish fls. Aug. 



P. juncoides. Lvs. erect, entire, linear, fleshy, attenuated to tho subacute 

 apex, bearded at base ; scape3 terete, scarcely longer than tho lvs. ; spikes oblong, 

 nostly loost-floicered ; bracts orbicular-eiliato; sep. not crested. — Salt marshes, N. 

 J. Plant moro slender than the preceding. Jl. (P. maritima (3. Poir.) 

 6 P. aristata Mx. Lvs. linear, erect, villous; ped. terete, longer than the leaves; 

 spikes cylindrical, dense-flowered, villous when j-oung; bracts attenuated to long, 

 setaceous, rigid awns ; cor. lobes round-cordate, uniformly colored, conspicuous ; 

 seeds large, finely punctate in lines. — Prairies in 111., abundant at Odin's Static*. 

 Lvs. 3 to 4' long. Ped. with spike about 9' high, tho latter beset with awns 3 to 

 6 to S'' long. Jn., Jl. (P. Patagonica Gray.) 



9 P. Virginica L. Lesser Plantain. Lvs. obovate-lanceolate, hoary pubes- 

 cent, subdenticulate ; scapo angular; spikes cylindric, pubescent, dense-flowered 

 above, often loose-flowered below ; seeds rarely moro than 2 ; bracts shorter than 

 the ciliate sep. — A biennial species on sandy or stony hills in the southern part of 

 N. Eng. and N. Y. to Ga. and La. Much smaller than P. major. The whole 

 plant is covered with soft, gray pubescence. Scapo 4 to 8' high, hairy. Lvs. 2 

 to 3' long, narrowed at base into petioles, obtuse at tho end. Cor. yellowish, with 

 very acute segments, erect when including tho stamens.. Jl (P. purpuruscens 

 Nutt ?) 



10 P. heterophylla Nutt. Lv3. linear, entire, and with a few slender teeth or 

 lobes, attenuate at each end ; ped. many, slender, as long as the lvs ; spikes loose- 

 flowered ; cor. closed upon tho conical fruit, tho short lobes crowning it as a crest; 

 pyxis 10 to 20-seeded. — (p® Wet grounds. Md. to La. Small and slender. 

 Scape almost threadlike, 4 to T high, lvs. about 3'. (P. pusilla Dene. P. Ludo- 

 viciana Riddell.) 



11 P.. pusilla Nutt. Lvs. linear, entire, thin, pubescent ; scape3 longer than tho 

 lvs., very slender, with scattored or approximate fls.; Jr. scarcely longer than the 

 calyx, crowned with tho cor. lobes, 4-seeded. — ® The smallest species of the 

 genus, 1 to 6' high, iu dry soils, N. Y. to Ga and W. States. (P. perpusdla 

 Dene.) 



Order LXXX. TLUMBAGINACE^E. Lbadworts. 



Herbs or undershrubs with tho leaves alternate or all clustered at the root. Flow- 

 ers regular. Calyx tubular, 5-toothed, plaited, persistent. Corolla hypocrateriform, 

 of 5 petals united at base, or sometimes almost distinct. Sta. 5, hypogynous and 

 opposite tho petals or inserted on their claws. Oua. 1 -celled, free from the calyx. 

 Styles 5 (seldom 3 or 4). Fr. a utricle, or dehiscent by valves, containing 1 ana- 

 tropous seed. 



Genera 10, specie* 230, mostly seaside or salt marsh plants, found In all latitudes. 



Properties. — Tho root of Statiee Limoniuni is one of the best and most powerful of all astrin- 

 gents. The species of Plmnbnso are acrid and escharotio, so much so, that the roots of P. Ea- 

 ropseus are s;iid by Lindlcy to be employed iu Europe by beggars, to raise blisters on the face, 

 In order to excite compassion. 



