Description of Plantain and Buckhoni. 203 



English plantain {Flantago lanceolata). 



The common plantain, which seems to 

 follow everywhere in the wake of civiliza- 

 tion, is not a very troublesome weed. It 

 grows about dwellings, in paths where the 

 grass has been much trodden, and in waste 

 places generally where the soil is rich. 

 Good cultivation in nearly all cases will 

 suffice to keep it at bay. 



The buckhorn or rib grass is a much 

 more troublesome weed, and has become a 

 source of great annoyance in the many sec- 

 tions of our continent into which it has 

 been introduced from Europe. It is a sim- 

 ple perennial. Its leaves are long, ribbed, 

 hairy, and narrowed at the base. The 

 stems wliich support its seed-spikes are 

 usually about a foot high, though they 

 sometimes attain a height considerably 

 greater. Several spikes are commonly 

 borne by each plant. These spikes are usu- 

 ally from one to two inches long, much 

 shorter relatively than those of the com- 

 mon plantain. 



The buckhorn continues to grow through- 

 out the greater part of the growing period 

 of the year. If it be cut off above ground, 

 as with the scythe, after the spikes begin 



