PLANTAIN FAMILY. 221 



1. STITRAX, STOKAX. (The ancient Greek name.) Leaves, &c. with 

 some scurf or starry clown. Shrubs, in low pine woods or barrens, from Vir- 

 ginia S. : fl. late spring. 



S. grandifblla, has obovate leaves (2'-G' long) white downy beneath, and 

 flowers mostly numerous in racemes. 



S. pulverulenta, has oval or obovate leaves less than 2' long, their 

 lowir face scurfy-downy, and fragrant flowers few together or single. 



S. Americana, has obiong almost glabrous leaves acute at both ends, and 

 flowers 2-4 together or single. 



2. HALESIA, SNOWDROP- or SILVER-BELL-TREE. (Named for 

 Stephen Hales, early writer of essays in vegetable physiology.) Tall shrubs 

 or small trees, flowering in spring just as the leaves appear. 



H. tetr&.ptera, Four-winged H. Along streams from Virginia and the 

 Ohio River S., planted for ornament and hardy N. : tall, smoothish, with oblong 

 finely .serrate leaves, 4-lobed corolla, 12-16 strongly monadelphous stamens, 

 and 4-winged fruit. 



H. diptera, Two-winged H., confined to low country S. ; has coarsely 

 serrate more downy oval leaves, 4 nearly distinct petals (1' long), 8-12 nearly 

 distinct stamens, and 2-winged fruit. 



3. SYMPLOCOS. (A Greek name, means ^roM'i'n^ to(7e<Ae?-.) Fl. spring. 

 S. tinctoria, Sweet-Leaf, Horse-Sugar. Shrub or small tree, in rich 



ground S., with coriaceous oblong nearly entire almost evergreen leaves, pale 

 beneath, and small odorous flowers in close sessile bracted clusters. Leaves 

 sweet-tasted, greedily eaten by cattle. 



69. PLANTAGINACEiE, PLANTAIN FAMILY. 



Consists almost entirely of the very familiar weedy genus 



1. PLANTAGO, PLANTAIN, RIBGRASS. (The old Latin name.) 

 Flowers in a spike, on a naked scape, small, whitish. Sepals 4 (or rarely 3 

 from two of them growing together), imbricated, persistent. Corolla short 

 salver-form, thin and membranaceous, usually becoming scarious and dry, or 

 withering on the pod ; lobes 4. Stamens 4 (or rarely 2) home on the tube of 

 the corolla : filaments usually lengthening suddenly at flowering time and 

 hanging (as in Grasses), bearing the 2-celled anthers. Style and long hairy 

 stigma single and thread-like. Ovary 2-celled. Pod 2-celled, a pyxis, the top 

 falling off" as a lid, and the partition then falling out along with the 2 or more 

 seeds. Leaves parallel-ribbed, all from the ground. The following are the 

 common species : fl. summer. 



§ 1 . Flowers all alike and perfect, in each the style protruded o day or two before 

 the anthers open or are hung out : lobes of corolla remaining wide open. 



P. m^or, Common Plantain, in yards, &c. Usually smooth or smooth- 

 ish, with ovate or oval 5 - 7-ribbed leaves, a slender spike, and 7 - 16-seedcd 

 pod. % 



P. lanceol^ta, Ribgrass, Ripplegrass, or English Plantain. Nat. 

 from En. in fields : rather hairy, with lanceolate or lance-oblong 3 - 5»ribbed 

 leaves, a grooved-angled scape, thick and close spike, two of the sepals mostly 

 united into one, and 2-seeded pod. % 



P. maritima, Seaside p. Salt-marshes N. E. ; smooth, with linear thick 

 and fleshy sometimes almost terete leaves, showing no ribs, slender spike, and 

 2 - 4-seeded pod. ® % 



§ 2. Flowers almost dioecious, or of 2 sorts, one with 4 long stan}ens and open 

 corolla, the other with minute short stamens, and corolla closing permanently 

 over the pod. 



P. Virginica. Sandy grounds mostly S. : small, pubescent, with obovate 

 or lance-spatulate 3 - 5-ribbed leaves, a small spike, and 2-seedcd pod. 



