744 PLANTAGINACEAE (PLANTAIN FAMILY) 



1. Littorella. Scape 1-2-flowered. Ovary 1 -celled, 1 -seeded. Aquatic. 



-'. Plantago. Scape several-many-flowered. Ovary 2-celled, 2-x> -seeded. Terrestrial. 



1. LITTORELLA Bergius. 



Flowers monoecious. The staminate solitary, on a mostly simple naked 

 scape ; calyx 4-parted, longer than the cylindraceous 4-cleft corolla ; anthers ex- 

 serted, on very long capillary filaments. Pistillate flowers usually 2, sessile at 

 the base of the scape ; calyx of 3 or 4 unequal sepals ; corolla urn-shaped, with 

 a 3-4-toothed orifice. Ovary with a single cell and ovule, tipped with a long 

 laterally stigmatic style, maturing as an achene. (Name from litus or littus, 

 shore, from the place of growth.) 



1. L. uniflbra (L.) Asch. Stoloniferous but otherwise stemless ; leaves 

 terete, linear-subulate, 2-7 cm. long. (L. lacustris L.) In water or on gravelly 

 shores, Nfd. to Me., Vt., Ont., and Minn.; very rare. (Eu.) 



2. PLANTAGO [Tourn.] L. PLANTAIN. RIBWORT 



Calyx of 4 imbricated persistent sepals, mostly with dry membranaceous 

 margins. Corolla salver-form or rotate, withering on the pod, the border 4- 

 parted. Stamens 4, or rarely 2, in all or some flowers with long and weak 

 exserted filaments, and fugacious 2-celled anthers. Ovary 2 (or in no. falsely 

 3-4) -celled, with 1-several ovules in each cell. Style and long hairy stigma 

 single, filiform. Capsule 2-celled, 2-several-seeded, opening transversely, so 

 that the top falls off like a lid and the loose partition (which bears the peltate 

 seeds) falls away. Embryo straight, in fleshy albumen. Leaves ribbed. 

 Flowers whitish, small, in a bracted spike or head, raised on a naked scape. 

 (The Latin name.) 



a. Corolla not closed over the fruit b. 



b. Seeds plump, not hollowed on the face c. 

 c. Leaves with more or less dilated strongly ribbed blade. 



Ribs of the broad leaves rising from the midrib .... 1. P. cordata. 



Ribs of the leaf free to the contracted base. 

 Pod circumscissile near the middle ...... 2. P. major. 



Pod circumscissile much below the middle. 

 Sepals sharply carinate on the back. 

 Spike densely flowered ; capsule 4-9-seeded .... 3. P. Ruy?IH. 



Spiku remotely flowered ; capsule 2-seeded .... 4. P. sjmrxirforit. 



Sepals rounded, not sharply carinate on the back . . . >. /'. criojnxtu. 



c. Leaves linear to subterete, fleshy, obscurely ribbed . . . 6. />. decipiens. 

 b. Seeds flattened, or hollowed on the face, or boat-shaped d. 



d. Leaves lanceolate to ovate, strongly ribbed. 



Leaves lanceolate to lance-oblong ....... 7. P. luno <>/<ttd. 



Leaves ovate to ovate-oblong ........ **./'. inr<iin. 



d. Leaves linear to setaceous. 



White, silky-lanate ; bracts not exceeding the calyx . . . !. /'. rtirxhii. 

 Green, loosely pubescent ; lower bracts much exceeding the calyx 1>. /'. <trii<t<it<t. 

 a. Corolla (of fertile flo'wers) closed over the fruit. 



Leaves spatulatc-lanceolate to obovate ; stamens 4. 



Fruiting calvx 1.5-'.'. r> inin. long ; seed O.s-l. 5 mm. long . . .11. P. virgin !<<!. 

 Fruiting calyx 8-4 mm. long ; seed 2.5-3 mm. long .... !_'. P. rkodotptrma. 



Leaves linear to filiform ; stamens 2. 

 Capsule 4-seeded ............ 13. /'. ??tig<ttn. 



C;i|.sulc U)-28-seeded .......... 14. 



1. Stamens 4 ; flowers all perfect ; corolla not closed <>v< r tin fruit. 

 * Flon-rr* jn-otf rni/i/tio/is. tin stt/lr jirsf /tro/t'ctiiii/ from the tnio/n-m-d 



the (niHn I-* limtf-<:r.xi'rti;l ufh-r tin- cnrolln li'os <>j>, -tied ; seeds not holl<"'-"l 

 on tfn /,/<< (rj-rt-jit iii no*. ; (tnd <9). 



1. P. cordata Lain. Tall, glabrous; leaves tit-shy, heart-shaped or round- 

 ovate, 1-2. f> dm. long. Inng-prtiolrd, ////> rilm arifina from the mitlrio; spike at 

 It-ii^tli loosrly tlowci't'tl ; bracts round-ovate, flesiiy ; capsule 2-4-seeded. 

 Along streams, in wooded swamps, etc., N. Y. and Ont. to Minn., and southw. 



