v.] PLANTAGINE&. i6 3 



PLANTAGINE^E. 



This order contains two British genera ; Plantago 

 and Littorella. 



Plantago, the common Plantain, has small, herma- 

 phrodite flowers in heads or spikes on a leafless 

 peduncle. The sepals are four; the corolla has four 

 lobes ; the stamens are four, alternating with the 

 petals, and very long ; the style is long, simple, and 

 hairy. This genus offers several interesting pecu- 

 liarities. 



Plantago major is proterogynous, and according 

 to Axell, as I have already mentioned (anti, p. 10), 

 is wind-fertilised, which, however, is not invariably 

 the case in other species. 



In PL lanceolata, Delpino has observed three dif- 

 ferent forms : 



Firstly, a form with a strong and high stalk ; white 

 and broad anthers. This he says is entirely wind- 

 fertilised. 



Secondly, one with a less elevated stalk, and less 

 exclusively anemophilous. On it he observed a 

 species of Halictus, which endeavoured to collect 

 pollen. The plant is, however, so little suited to this, 

 that most of the pollen fell to the ground. 



Thirdly, a dwarf variety, with shorter stamens. 

 This form was visited by several species of bees 

 and is intermediate between wind- fertilisation and 

 insect-fertilisation. Miiller also has observed two 

 varieties of this species ; one tall and long-eared, the 

 other shorter and smaller ; both of them were visited 

 by insects. P. lanceolata is proterogynous. 



M 2 



