518 Morris: North American Plantaginaceae 



Plantago pusilla. This action has been followed, more or less 

 consistently, including the writer's w^ork, since that time. It is 

 evident from herbarium annotations, and synonymy wherever it 

 occurs, that the identity of Pursh's species and NuttalTs species 

 has been taken for granted, thus following Asa Gray. 



In 1900, P. A. Rydberg, also without reference to P. elongata 

 Pursh, segregated from Plmitago ptisilla Nuttall a northern and 

 western form which he called Plantago myosuroides. In his de- 

 scrif)tion of the species he cites two of the specimens already referred 

 to, namely, Watson's '* Plantago Bigelovii " from Utah, and Geyer's 

 material from the upper Missouri. The latter is clearly designated 

 by Engelmann. It is quite evident that Rydberg was without 

 knowledge of Engelmann's publication, for his characterization is 

 remarkably like that by Engelmann. He says "nearest related to 

 P. pusilla Nutt., differing in the larger size, larger flowers, the 

 longer capsule which is twice as long as the sepals,'' etc. 



From the foregoing it seems evident that Asa Gray had not 



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finished comparing Pursh's type and other material of the species, 

 and that Engelmann and Rydberg were unfortunate in coming no 

 nearer to the identity of Pursh's type. The type specimen, accord- 

 ing to present information, is in the Academy of Natural Sciences 

 of Philadelphia ; and when placed beside specimens from Geyer, 

 Hayden, Macoun, and Watson, it is hardly distinguishable from 

 some of them, and is readily recognizable as belonging with them 

 and later collections in distinction from the species occurring mainly 

 east and south of the range o{ Plantago elongata. Engelmann and 

 Rydberg each described characters not noted by Pursh ; also, in 

 addition to those quoted, characters not noted by the other ; and 

 the combination of Pursh's diagnosis with Engelmann's and Ryd- 



berg's makes a nearly complete description of the species. 



Plantago elongata occurs, so far as ascertained, only in saline 

 and subsaline localities, and only above the 1000 foot contour. 

 The type locality is determinable from the following, kindly sent 

 by Mr. Stewardson Brown of the Philadelphia Academy : " Re- 

 garding locality for Pursh's Plantago: in Bradbury's Journal page 

 335 in a • Catalogue of some of the more rare and valuable plants 

 discovered in the neighborhood of St. Louis and on the Missouri ' 

 he says • Plantago elongata, near the Maha Village.' According: 



