624 



CLXXVI. PLANTAGINE^. 



Littorella. 



Germinating seed 



(mag.). 



Littorella. 

 Pistil (mag.). 



Littoi'ella. 



Young OTule with the 



conducting tissue (mag.). 



-»e^ 



Littorella. 



Young ovary cut 



vertically to stow 



the conducting 



tissue (mag.). 



Littorella. 



Q eliminating seed further 



advanced (mag.). 



Corolla monopetalous, hypogynous, generally isostemonous, msdvation imbricate. 

 Stamens 4 [rafely 1), inserted on the corolla, or hypogynous. Oyakt l-i-celled ; 

 OYVIjBS peltate. 'F'b.vi'P a capsule or nucule. Sebj>s fixed iy a ventral hilum. Embbto 

 parallel to the hilum, albuminous, straight or curved. 



Annual or perennial hbebs ; rhizome subterranean, sometimes stoloniferous, 

 giving off scapigerous peduncles, or leafy rarely Woody stems. Leaves all radical 

 in most species, or rosulate, alternate, or opposite {Psyllium), simple, flat, nerved, 

 entire, toothed, or pinnatifid {Psyllium), or semi-cylindric, sessile and flesliy, or 

 contracted into a petiole dilated at its base, and accompanied by a woolly membrane. 

 Peduncles always springing from tbe axUs of the lower leaves. Flowers usually 5 , 

 spicate and spiked, bracteate, or rarely diclinous ; the $ solitary, scapose ; the ? 

 crowded, sessile at the base of the scape. 



1. Flowers 5 {Plantain) : Calyx ? herbaceous, 4-partite, persistent; anterior 

 sepals distinct or cohering, imbricate, usually keel-shaped, edges membranous. 

 Corolla ? hypogynous, monopetalous, tubular, scarious, marcescent, with 4 imbri- 

 cate lobes. Stamens 4, inserted on the corolla-tube and alternate with its lobes, 

 exserted or sometimes included and imperfect ; filaments filiform, flaccid, inflexed 

 before flowering ; anthers versatile, apiculate, cells parallel, dehiscence longitudinal, 

 introrse, deciduous. Ovary free, 2-4-celled ; style filiform, exserted erect, or 

 included, with 2 longitudinal lines of stigmatic papillse ; ovules 1-8 in each cell, 

 peltate on the middle of the septum of the many-ovuled cells, or at the bottom of the 

 1-ovuled cells. Capsule circumsciss, sub-membranous, 1-4-celled, 1-many-seeded, 

 edges of septum free, surfaces seminiferous. Seeds peltate ; testa mucilaginous. 

 Embryo parallel to the hilum, straight, cylindric, in the axis of a fleshy albumen ; 

 cotyledons oblong or linear; radicle distant from the hilum, inferior, rarely centrifugal. 



2. Flowers monoecious {Littorella) or polygamous {Bougueria). — $ : Calyx 

 4-partite, with membranous edges {Littorella), or with 4 sub-equal hairy sepals 

 {Bougueria). Corolla tubular, scarious, with 4 equal lobes (Littorella), or irregularly 



