LORANTHACEAE 1101 



long, glabrous or nearly so, loosely-flowered : bracts ovate, very much shorter than the 

 calyx-lobes : flowers perfect : calyx-lobes orbicular to obovate, about 2 mm. long, rounded, 

 each with a green midrib and scarious margins : corolla with tube slightly surpassing the 

 calyx, glabrous; lobes reflexed : capsules oblong-cylindric, 3-4 mm. long, nearly twice as 

 long as the calyx-lobes, circumscissile at the lower third : seeds 2, fully 2 mm. long. 

 In low pine lands, North Carolina to Florida. Spring to fall. 



16. Plantago Rug61ii Decne. Perennial, bright green, glabrous or minutely pubes- 

 cent. Leaves basal, 5-40 cm. long ; petioles flattened or channeled on the upper side, usually 

 purple at the base ; blades broadly ovate to oblong, longer than the petioles or sometimes 

 shorter, 5-7-nerved, entire or shallowly toothed, cuneately or abruptly narrowed at the base : 

 scapes erect or ascending, solitary or several together, often surpassing the leaves, 10-50 

 cm. tall : spikes 2-30 cm. long, sometimes broadly bracted near the base : bracts fully one 

 half as long as the calyx-lobes, acute: flowers perfect: sepals oblong, acute, 2-2.5 mm. 

 long, keeled, often scarious-margined : corolla glabrous ; tubes slightly surpassing the calyx ; 

 lobes spreading: capsules conic or oblong-conic, 4-4.5 mm. long, circumscissile below the 

 middle : seeds 4-9, 1.5-2 mm. long. 



In woods and waste places, Maine to Ontario, North Dakota, Florida and Texas, and introduced 

 farther west. Spring to fall. 



17. Plantago major L. Perennial, glabrous or sparingly pubescent. Leaves basal, 

 5-35 cm. long ; petioles flattened or channeled on the upper surface, usually green at the 

 base ; blades ovate or oval, or rarely oblong, obtuse or acutish, 5-7-nerved, entire or 

 coarsely toothed, rounded or cordate at the base, longer than the petioles or shorter : scapes 

 erect, solitary or several together, surpassing the leaves, 8-40 cm. tall, rarely with several 

 leaves under the spike, sometimes branched : spikes 4-20 cm. long, dense : bracts ovate, 

 barely equalling the calyx-lobes : flowers perfect : calyx-lobes ovate to obovate, obtuse, not 

 keeled, scarious-margined : corolla inconspicuous ; tube about as long as the calyx ; lobes 

 spreading or reflexed : capsules ovoid, about 3 mm. long, slightly surpassing the calyx- 

 lobes, circumscissile at the middle : seeds 6-18, 0.7 mm. long. 



In waste places, throughout North America, except the extreme north. Chiefly naturalized east- 

 ward from Europe. Spring to fall. 



18. Plantago cordata Lam. Perennial, deep green, glabrous. Leaves basal, 1-4.5 

 dm. long ; petioles flattened, stout ; blades ovate to suborbicular, 5-30 cm. long, acute or 

 obtuse, 7-9-nerved, these confluent with the midrib below the middle of blade, entire or 

 shallowly toothed, rounded or cordate at the base : scapes erect, solitary or several together, 

 surpassing the leaves, 15-50 cm. tall : spikes loosely-flowered, sometimes interrupted : 

 bracts orbicular-ovate or reniform, 1.5-3 mm. long : calyx-lobes ovate to suborbicular, 

 2.5-3 mm. long, obtuse or acutish : corolla surpassing the calyx ; lobes ovate or orbicular- 

 ovate, spreading or reflexed in age : capsules globose-ovoid, 4-5 mm. long, circumscissile 

 at the middle or slightly below it : seeds 1-4, 3.5-4 mm. long. 



In swamps and on wet banks, New York to Missouri, Alabama and Louisiana. Spring and 

 summer. 



Order 9. SANTALALES. 



Herbs, shrubs or trees, commonly parasitic on trees or on the roots of other 

 plants. Leaves with expanded blades or often reduced to scales. Flowers per- 

 fect or imperfect, inconspicuous, variously disposed. Calyx present, often a 

 mere border. Corolla present or wanting. Androecium mostly of as many sta- 

 mens as there are petals or sepals, or twice as many. Gynoecium compound, 

 more or less inferior. Fruit a drupe, a nut or a berry. Endosperm usually pre- 

 sent, fleshy. 



Stamens as many as the petals or sepals : ovules not freely pendulous from an erect placenta. 



Leaves opposite : fruit a berry : tree-parasites. Fam. 1. LORANTHACEAE. 



Leaves mainly alternate : fruit a drupe or a nut : root- parasites. Fam. 2. SANTALACEAE. 



Stamens twice as many as the petals, except in Schoepfia : ovules freely pen- 

 dulous from the erect placenta. Fam. 3. OLACACEAE. 



FAMILY 1. LORANTHACEAE D. Don. MISTLETOE FAMILY. 



Green parasitic shrubs or herbs, with chlorophyll-bearing tissues, growing 

 mostly on woody plants from whose sap they take food through specialized roots 

 called haustoria. Leaves mostly opposite, sometimes reduced to scales. Flow- 

 ers regular, solitary or variously disposed, monoecious or dioecious. Calyx 

 often sessile, truncate or lobed. Corolla of 2-6 more or less united petals. An- 

 droecium of 2-6 stamens. Anthers 2-celled or confluently 1-celled. Gynoe- 



