PLANTAG1NACEAE. 857 



occur in the western and southwestern parts of N. Am. Known as Plantain, Rib- 

 wort or Road -weed. 



* Stem acaulescent; flowers spicate or capitate at the ends of scapes. 

 Corolla-lobes spreading or reflexed in fruit, not closed over the top of the pyxis. 

 Leaves ovate, lanceolate or oblong. 



Seeds several or many in each pyxis. 



Pyxis ovoid, circumscissile at about the middle. I. P. major. 



Pyxis oblong, circumscissile much below the middle. a. P. Rugelii. 

 Seeds 2-4 in each pyxis. 



Leaves all narrowed at the base, parallel-ribbed. 



Seeds excavated on the inner side. 3. P. lanceolata, 



Seeds flat or but slightly concave on the inner side. 

 Capsule equalling or a little longer than the calyx. 



Spike very dense ; leaves pubescent. 4. P. media. 



Lower flowers scattered ; leaves glabrous or very nearly so. 



5. P. eriopoda. 



Capsule twice as long as the calyx. 6. P. sparsiflora. 



Leaves, or some of them, cordate ; veins starting from the midrib. 



7. P. cordata. 

 Leaves linear or filiform. 



Leaves fleshy; plant maritime. 8. P. maritima. 



Leaves not fleshy ; plants not maritime. 



Spike densely tomentose ; bracts usually not longer than flowers. 



9. P. Purshii. 

 Plant light green and villous ; bracts twice as long as the flowers. 



10. P. spinulosa. 

 Plant dark green and pubescent ; bracts much longer than the flowers. 



11. P. arts tat a. 

 Corolla-lobes erect and closed over the top of the pyxis. 



Leaves spatulate to obovate ; stamens 4. 12. P. Virginica. 



Leaves linear-filiform ; stamens 2. 



Capsule about 4-seeded, slightly exceeding the calyx. 13. P. elongata. 



Capsule 8-2o-seeded, twice as long as the calyx. 14. P. heterophylla. 



* * Stem erect, leafy; flowers capitate at the ends of axillary peduncles. 



15. P. arenaria 



1. Plantago major L. COMMON, OR GREATER PLANTAIN. (I. F. f. 3378.) 

 Perennial, glabrous or pubescent; rootstook short, thick, erect. Leaves long- 

 petioled, mostly ovate, entire, or coarsely dentate, 2.5-25 cm. long, 3-ii-ribbed; 

 scapes 0.5-9 dm. high; spike linear-cylindric, usually dense, commonly bkmt, 

 5-25 cm. long, 6-8 mm. thick; flowers perfect, proterogy nous ; sepals broadly 

 ovate to obovate, scarious margined, one-half to two-thirds as long as the obtuse 

 or subacute, 5-i6-seeded pyxis; stamens 4. In waste places, nearly throughout 

 N. Am. Nat. from Europe, or perhaps indigenous in the far North and on salt 

 meadows. May-Sept. 



2. Plantago Rugelii Dec. RUGEL'S PLANTAIN. (I. F. f. 3379.) Similar 

 to the preceding, the spikes less dense, at least toward the base, usually long-at- 

 tenuate at the summit, sometimes I cm. thick. Sepals oblong, prominently keeled 

 on the back; pyxis 4-6 mm. long, twice as long as the sepals, circumscissile much 

 below the middle and entirely within the calyx, 4-iO-seeded; corolla-lobes spread- 

 ing or reflexed on the summit of the pyxis; stamens 4. In fields, woods and waste 

 places, Me. and Ont. to S. Dak., Fla., Neb. and Tex. Petioles commonly purple 

 at the base. Usually brighter green and with thinner leaves than P. major. 

 June-Sept. 



3 Plantago lanceolata L. RIBWORT. RIB-GRASS. (I. F. f. 3380.) 

 Perennial or biennial, pubescent; rootstock short, erect, with tufts of brown hairs 

 at the bases of the leaves. Leaves narrowly oblong-lanceolate, shorter than the 

 scapes, entire, acute or acuminate, gradually narrowed into petioles, 3-5 -ribbed, 

 5-30 cm. long; scapes slender, channelled, sometimes 7.5 dm. tall; spikes dense, 

 at first ovoid, becoming cylindric, blunt and l-io cm. long in fruit, 8-12 mm. 

 thick; flowers perfect, proterogynous ; sepals ovate, with a narrow green midrib 

 and broad scarious margins, the two lower ones commonly united; corolla glabrous; 

 filaments white; pyxis oblong, very obtuse, 2-seeded, slightly longer than the calyx, 

 circumscissile at about the middle. In fields and waste places, N. B. to the N W. 

 Terr., Br. Col., Fla. and Kans. Nat. from Europe. April-Nov. 



