134 



FAM. 163, 164, 165. 



pyramidal panicles have a long, bent, swelling tube and 2-lipped border; stamens 

 4, didynamous, with 1 staminodium about as long as the stamens. 



163. Plantaginaceae, Plantain Family. 



Chiefly acaulescent herbs with basal ribbed leaves 

 and small, whitish flowers in long or short spikes at the 

 top of a naked scape; calyx of 4 slightly united sepals; 

 corolla 4-lobed, and like the calyx scarious or membran- 

 ous; stamens 2 or 4 with versatile anthers; ovary super- 

 ior, style and stigma single; fruit a pyxis, 1-many seeded. 

 Annual or biennial herbs. - - Plantago, Plantain. 



P. heterophylla. Leaves linear to filiform; stamens 2; — spikes slender, loosely- 

 flowered; flowers dioecious or polygamous; calyx-lobes not longer than the bracts; 

 seeds 10-30, dark-red. 



P. Virginica. Leaves broad, spatulate to elliptic; stamens 4; — spikes dense; 

 flowers polygamous; calyx-lobes longer than the bracts; seeds 2-4, golden-yellow. 



164. Loranthaceae, Mistletoe Family. 



Green parasitic shrubs, feeding on the sap of woody 

 plants by means of haustoria; leaves opposite; flowers 

 regular; calyx truncate or lobed; corolla of 2-6 more or 

 less united petals; stamens 2-6; ovary 1-celled with a soli- 

 tary ovule; pistil 1; fruit a berry. 



Leaves leathery, persistent; flowers very small, dioecious, in short-jointed 

 spikes; the sterile ones with a 3-, rarely 2-5 lobed corolla and 1 

 stamen at the base of each lobe; the fertile flowers with similar 

 corolla and inferior ovary; berry subglobose, - Phoradendron, Mistletoe 



P. flavescens. Green or yellowish, growing in bunches on the limbs of deci- 

 duous-leaved trees; leaves fleshy, spatulate to oblong, entire, short-pet- 

 ioled; berry white, with glutinous pulp and a flat oblong seed. Spring. 



165. Rubiaceae, Madder Family. 



Herbs, shrubs and trees with simple leaves, which 

 are opposite and united by interpetiolar stipules, or whorled; 

 flowers regular, perfect or polygamous, in cymes, pani- 

 cles or heads; calyx 3-6 lobed or toothed, or truncate; cor- 

 olla of 3-6 more or less united petals; stamens distinct or 

 united, alternate with the corolla-lobes and of the same 

 number; ovary more or less adnate to the calyx-tube, 2-5 

 celled with 1-many ovules in each cell; styles partly united, 

 with 2-many stigmas; fruit a capsule, drupe or berry. 



1. Leaves and stipules 4-7 in a whorl; — herbs with 4-angled stems; stip- 

 ules often as large as the leaves; flowers small on axillary pe- 

 duncles or in cymes; calyx truncate, corolla rotate with 3-4 



