PLANTAIN FAMILY. 221 



1. STYRAX, STORAX. (The ancient Greek name.) Leaves, &c. with 



sonic scurf or starry down. Shrubs, in low pine woods or barrens, from Vir- 

 ginia IS. : fl. late spring. 

 S. grandifolia, has obovate leaves (2' -6' long) white downy beneath, and 



flowers mostly numerous in racemes. 



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



lowr lace 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. tetraptera, FOLK-WINGED II. Along streams from Virginia and the 

 Oiiio River S., planted for ornament and hardy X. : tall, smoothish, with oblong 

 finely serrate leaves, 4-lobed corolla, 12 -1G strongly monadclphous stamens, 

 and 4-winged fruit. 



H. dlptera, TWO-WINGED H., confined to low country S. ; has coarsely 

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

 distinct stamens, and 2-wingcd fruit. 



3. SYMPLOCOS. (A Greek name, means growing together.} 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. PLANTAGINACELB:, PLANTAIN FAMILY. 



Consists almost entirely of the very familiar weedy genus 



1. PLAHTAGO, 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 roembranaceous, usually becoming scarious and dry, or 

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

 the corolla : filaments usually lengthening suddenly at flowering time and 

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

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

 fa' ling oft' as a lid, and the partition then falling out along with the 2 or more 

 seeds. Leaves parallel-ribbed, ail from the ground. The folloAving are the 

 common species : fl. summer. 



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

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



P. major, COMMON PLANTAIN, in yards, c. Usually smooth or smooth- 

 ish, with ovate or oval 5 - 7-ribbed leaves, a slender spike, and 7 - IG-secded 

 pod. y. 



P. lanceolata, BIBQHABS, 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 OTIC, and 2-seedcd pod. 2/ 



P. maritima, SEASIDE 1*. Salt-marshes N. E. ; smooth, with linear thick 

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

 2 - 4-secded pod. (\) j/ 



2. Flowers almost fticrrions, or of 2 sorts, one icifh 4 long stmnens and open 

 corola, tlie other with minute short stamens, and corolla closing permanently 

 over the pod. 



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

 or lance-spatulate 3 - 5-ribbed leaves, a small spike, find 2-soeded pod. 



