Minnesota Plant Life. T^^y 



and troublesome weed in lawns throughout the state. The 

 stems of the plantains are very short, situated underground, 

 commonly in an erect position. A cluster of leaves with prom- 

 inent longitudinal veins are borne on this short stem and from 

 the center of the tufts of leaves an axis arises, in the plantains 

 proper prolonged into a dense spike of flowers. In the related 

 shoreweed, not known to occur in Minnesota, the flowers are 

 solitary on the erect axes. Each plantain flower is provided 

 with a four-lobed corolla and calyx and there are ordinarily 

 four stamens, though the number in some species is reduced 

 to two. The fruit-rudiment matures into a two-chambered 

 capsule that splits by a circular cleft, thus removing the tip 

 as a Hd and allowing the seeds to escape. 



In Minnesota there are six or seven varieties of plantain. 

 The common plantain of dooryards has broad, smooth or 

 slightly hairy leaves, arising from a thick, short rootstock. 

 The spikes are long, slender and many-flowered. The pod 

 opens by a ring around the middle. Rugel's plantain resembles 

 this closely, but has fewer flowers in a spike and the pods split 

 below the middle, so that the lid is the larger portion. The 

 rib-grass, or rib plantain, is introduced from Europe and is 

 recognized by its slightly hairy, lance-shaped, or broadly grass- 

 like leaves, and its pod splits at about the middle. The salt- 

 marsh plantain, known from the saline soils of the Red river 

 valley, has oblong, lance-shaped leaves and pods splitting below 

 the middle. The heart-leafed plantain has broad, heart-shaped 

 leaves of a purplish-green color with smooth surfaces. The 

 spike is not continuous but is interrupted by short, flowerless 

 areas. The pod splits at about the middle. The woolly plan- 

 tain, found on prairies in the Minnesota valley, especially 

 upon high knolls, has silky or woolly, very slender grass-like 

 leaves. The whole plant, from the hairs, has a white aspect. 

 The pods split at about the middle. The bracted plantain has 

 grass-like leaves, but is not furnished with silky hairs and the 

 spike is clothed with slender green bracts or scales which pro- 

 trude considerably beyond the ends of the flowers. The pod 

 splits below the middle. 



