BUCKHORX PLAXTAIX— MARSH ELDER 39 



has a square, leafy stem. In olden times the leaves of catnip were 

 used for catnip tea which was supposed to be a remedy for practically 

 all children's ailments. Cats are very fond of the leaves of this plant. 

 The flowers are borne at the summit of the main stem and are pale 

 purple in color. The reddish brown seeds are quite small and very 

 seldom appear in commercial seeds. 



Eradication. — Dig out with a spade or hoe. 



Buckhorn Plantain (Plantago lanceolata L.) 



Other common names. — English plantain, buck plantain, long- 

 leaved plantain, ripple plantain, snake plantain, long plantain. do:{"s- 

 ribs, black-jacks, rams'-tongue, nb-grass, ribwort, and rat-tail. 



Description. — Buckhorn plantain is usually perennial, although 

 sometimes biennial. This plant, which was introduced from Europe, 

 has become very common in the southern states but has only recently 

 worked its way into this State. It very often secures a foothold in 

 clover fields and crowds out the clover plants. The flowers appear 

 throughout the summer and the seed- mature about August 1. This 

 plant is a close relative to the common plantain which grows abun- 

 dantly in lawns and waste places. The leaves of the buckhorn plan- 

 tain are long and narrow and they all come from a common point 

 at the top of the root. The flowering head is short and clublike. 

 The flowers are yellow in color. Buckhorn plantain propagates itself 

 almost entirely by seeds, which are distributed in hay and in the 

 seeds of crops. These seeds are chestnut-brown in color and highly 

 polished. They are boat-shaped and rounded at each end, one face 

 of the seed is rounded, while the other face is flattened and has a 

 deep groove. The seeds of buckhorn plantain are found especially 

 in the seeds of the clovers and grasses. On account of the size of 

 the seed it is very hard to clean buckhorn plantain from red clover 

 seed. 



Eradication. — Stray plants in a lawn may be spudded out. Fields 

 badly infested must be plowed, cultivated, and resown. Grass seed 

 containing buckhorn should not be sown. It is important that all 

 grass seed be inspected for purity as this is a dangerous weed. 



Marsh Elder (Iva xanthiifolia Nutt) 



Other common names. — Highwater shrub and false ragweed. 



Description. — Marsh elder is an annual weed with a very simple 

 root system. This weed is especially common in the central and 

 southern parts of this State but is not a very serious pest. It is 



