Basin, although it is more common and abundant at low elevations throughout 

 its range. This species grows on a wide variety of soils from heavy clay to 

 nearly pure sand, but apparently prefers loamy soils. 



Woolly Indianwheat is most abundant and more important in the South- 

 west than elsewhere. On some ranges it is considered fairly good or even good 

 spring forage for sheep and cattle, and is one of the most valuable winter 

 annual weeds. It is an outstanding feed on desert lambing grounds about 

 Phoenix, Ariz. Although cons'derably inferior to alfileria, this plant usually 

 does not dry up as readily, and tends to produce a crop under slightly less 

 favorable conditions. The dense and relatively large seed heads are the most 

 palatable part of the plant, and are reputedly nutritious and fattening. Else- 

 where than in the Southwest, woolly Indianwheat ranks as poor forage and 

 is of little or no economic importance. 



Because this species is an annual, its abundance depends upon the amount 

 of precipitation and the character and density of the perennial plant cover 

 present. Hence its production varies greatly, and its utility period is naturally 

 short. In view of the uncertainty of this forage crop, livestock population 

 should not be based upon the use of this plant. During favorable years this 

 weed springs up abundantly over large areas and frequently becomes the 

 dominant plant for a short period in the spring on sites supporting sparse 

 perennial vegetation. During dry years, the plant supplies only a limited 

 amount of forage although reproduction during dry years is more certain than 

 that of many other annuals. 



PLANTAINS AND INDIANWHEATS (Planta'go s PP .) 



The plantains, some of the annual species of which are known as Indian- 

 wheats, are annual or perennial herbs or half shrubs with usually numerous 

 basal leaves and small, inconspicuous flowers in spikes or heads borne on leaf- 

 less stems. Plantaffo is the classical Latin name for plantain. Plantayo is a 

 relatively large genus, consisting of more than 200 species ; it belongs to the 

 plantain family (Plantaginaceae). The plantains are chiefly weedy species, 

 found in waste places, maritime, or alpine localities throughout the world, but 

 are especially common in temperate regions ; they are widely distributed 

 throughout the United States at low elevations. However, the number of 

 species occurring in the West is relatively few. 



A few species of Plantayo, commonly known as Indianwheats such as 

 P. purshii and desert Indianwheat (P. fastigia' ta) , are fairly high in palata- 

 bility and are so abundant on some ranges of the Southwest that they class as 

 fairly important spring forage. Thornber * ranks the native plantains, or 

 Indianwheats, next in Importance to the valuable alfileria (Erodium cicutarium) 

 among the winter annuals of southern and western Arizona. Desert Indian- 

 wheat, also known as tufted plantain, is listed as a very abundant species of the 

 desert ranges of that region. These Indianwheats produce a large number of 

 seeds, the most palatable part of the plant, which stockmen regard as a good 

 fattening feed for livestock. With the exception of a few species of the South- 

 west, the plantains occur scatteringly, rate as poor forage for all classes of 

 livestock, and are of little range importance. 



Several of the plantains have been used medicinally. The species of greatest 

 present importance is flaxseed plantain (P. psyl'lium), native to southern 

 Europe and northern Africa, the seeds of which, sold as psyllium seeds, are used 

 externally or internally in similar manner to flaxseed, which they closely resem- 

 ble in medicinal properties. Several European species naturalized in America, 

 such as rippleseed plantain, often called common plantain (P. ma'jor), a plant 

 with large, broad leaves, and buckhorn plantain, often called lanceleaf plantain 

 and ribwort (P. lanceola'ta), are now very common weeds in fields, lawns, and 

 waste places. During pioneer days they were used medicinally. 



The plantain genus is characterized by numerous small, bracted, mostly green- 

 ish flowers on naked stems; the flower parts are in fours, with the four (rarely 

 two) stamens alternating with the four membranous petals; the seed pod 

 (pyxis) is mainly two-celled and one- to several-seeded, opening transversely so 

 that the top falls off like a lid; the mostly basal leaves have one to several 

 distinct ribs. 



1 Thornber, J. J. THE GRAZING RANGES OF ARIZONA. Ariz. Agr. Expt. Sta. Bull. 65 : 

 [2451-360. illus. 1910. 



