BUCKS-HORN PLANTAIN 293 



for the neighbourhood of the sea, though it is by 

 no means confined to this, is the buck's-horn 

 plantain Plantago Coronopus the plant figured on 

 Plate XLII. This, unlike the sea-buckthorn, is 

 common enough, and thrives well on barren, sterile 

 ground. Inconspicuous as it is, it has a certain 

 quaint charm and is by no means grudged 

 the very limited accommodation that it asks 

 at our hands. This plant is the Cornu cervinum 

 of the mediaeval writers. "It riseth up at the 

 first with small, narrow, long, hairy, darke 

 green leaves like -grasse, without any division or 

 gash in them, but those that follow are gashed 

 in on both sides of the leaves, into three or four 

 gashes, and pointed at the ends, resembling the 

 knagges of a Buckes home, whereof it tooke the 

 name, and being well grown lye round about the 

 roote, in order one by another, thereby resembling 

 the forme of a starre, and therefore called Herbe 

 Stella : from any which rise divers hairy stalkes 

 about an handbreath high, bearing each one a small 

 long spiky head, very like unto those of the common 

 Plaintaine, having such like bloomings and seede 

 after them. They flower and seede in May, June 

 and July, and their greene leaves abide fresh in a 

 manner all the Winter. Buckshorne Plantane boyled 

 in wine and drunke, is an excellent remedy for the 

 biting of a Viper or Adder (for I hold an English 

 Adder to be the true Viper, both by the forme 



