606 Ordeb 79.— PLANTAGINACE^. 



12. SAffl'OLUS, L. Water Pimpernel. (Celtic san, salutary, mog, 

 a pig ; a specific for the diseases of swine, says Pliny.) Calyx partly ad- 

 herent, 5-cleft ; cor. hypocrateriforra, 5-cleft ; sta. 5, alternating with 5 

 scales (sterile filaments) ; caps, dehiscent at top by 5 valves, many-seeded. 

 — Herbs with alternate Ivs. Fls. corymbous or racemous. (Fig. 272.) 



S. valerdndi L. /3. ameeicands (Gray). St. simple or branched; Iva. obtuse, 

 ovato or obovate, the radical petiolate ; fls. in a raceme or panicle of racemes, pe- 

 dicels with a minute bract near the middle ; pet. longer than the sep. — In wet, 

 gravelly places, frequent throughout the country. Sts. G' to If high, simple when 

 lirst flowering, becoming often much branched. Lvs. thin, about l' long. Fed. 

 less than 1', with small (near 2" diam.) milk white 03. A white spot in the axils 

 of the branches. Jl. — Sept. (North), Apr. — Jl. (South). (S. floribunda of authors.) 



Order LXXIX. PLANTAGINACE^ Ribworts. 



Ilerbs rarely shrabby, with radical leaves and the flowers in a .spike on a soapo. 



Flowers regular, tetramerous. Stamens i, alternate with the lobes of the corolla 



and inserted on its tube. Anthers versatile, filaments usually slender and exserted. 



Fruit a membranous pyxis, with 1, 2, or many albuminous seeds. 



Genera 8, species 200, most abundnnt in temper-itc climates, scattered througliout all coui.- 

 trles of the globe. Properties unimportant. 



PLAKTA^GO, L. Plantain. Ribwort. Sepals 4, membranous, 

 persistent ; corolla monopetalous ; border 4-toothed, spreading, per- 

 sistent and withering on the fruit ; stamens 4 (rarely 2), the long, slen- 

 der filaments exserted, or in some of the fls. included ; ovary 2 (-4)- 

 celled ; pyxis membranous, opening below the middle by a lid, when 

 the loose dissepiment falls out with the seeds. — (Herbs acaulesoent.) 

 Fls. small, whitish, in a slender spike raised on a scape. 



§ stamens uniformly exserted. Corolla lobes spreading. . Flowers rcnlform. (a) 



a Seeds 7 to 16. Leaves broadly ovate, T- veined. Spike dense No. 1 



a Seeds 4 only. Leaves obloncr or cordate, 3 to 7-veinod Nos. 2, S 



a Seeds 2 only. Leaves lanceolate. Scape tall Nos. 4, 5 



a Seeds 2 or 4, Leaves linear, fleshy Nos. 6, 7 



§ Stamens mostly included, with short anthers. Flowers dimorphous? (b) 



h Seeds 2 only. Corolla lobes roundUh, refle-xed. Leave.^ linear No. 8 



b Seeds 2, rarely 3 or 4. Corolla lobes erect. Leaves lanceolate No. 9 



b Seeds 4 to 20. Leaves linear. Plants very small Nos. 10, 11 



1 P. major L. Common' Plant.iiu or Ribwoet. Lvs. ovate, smoothish, some- 

 what toothed, palmatdy 1-veined, with long, channeled footstalks ; soaps round ; 

 fls. densely spiked; seeds 1 to 16. — 1[ Common always at the door and by the 

 wayside. The leaves are reputed a good external application for wounds, fox 

 The seeds are eaten by sparrows and other small birds. Lvs. broad, flat, with 

 about 7 veins, each containing a strong fibre which may be pulled out. Scape 1 

 to 3f high, with a very long (5 to 20'), cylindrio spike. Fls. white, inconspicuous, 

 appearing in succession all summer. § Eur., &a 



2 P. Rugelii Dene. Lvs. oblong or oUong-ellipiical, obtuse, 3 to 5-veined, atten- 

 uated to a petiole ; ped. slender, terete ; spike cylindrical, more or less loose-flow- 

 ered; bracts acutish, shorter than the smooth sepals. — Ala. (Deeaisne in Prod. 

 DC. XIII, p. 700). AUied to P. major, perhaps too nearly. 



3 P. cordata Lam. Lvs. cordate-ovate, hroad, smooth, subpinnately 5 to 7 -veined, 

 obscurely toothed ; fls. loosely spicate, lower ones scattered, with ovate, obtusf, 

 bracts ; pyxis 4-8eeded. — li Can. to Tenn. and Ga., along streams. Our largest 

 native spocie.s, nearly as large as P. major. Spikes 6 to 8' long, on scapes twice 

 as high. Lvs. 3 to 6' long, more or less cordate at base. Cor. white, with obo- 

 vate segnsKit?. Pyxis a third longer than the calyx, with 3 margined seeds in 

 each cell. Jn., Jl. 



4 P. lanceolata L. Lvs. lanceolate, tapering at each end, petiole channeled ; 

 spike ovate or ajlindric, dense ; scaps a7i{fj,lar; bracts and cor. lobes acuminate. — 



