Plantago major. common Plantain. 



PLANTAGO Linnai. Gen. PL Tetrandria Monogynia. 



Rati Syn. Gen. 22. Herb^: vasculifer^i flore tetrapetalo anomalje. 



PLANTAGO major foliis ovatis glabris, fcapo tereti, fpica flofculis imbricatis. Lin. Syjl. Vegetab. p. 131. 

 Spec. Plant, p. 163. FI. Suecic. n. 129. 



PLANTAGO foliis petiolatis, ovatis, glabris ; fpica cylindrical Haller. hi/I. Heh* n. 660. 



PLANTAGO major. Scopoli. FI. Carniol. n. 161. 



PLANTAGO latifolia finuata. Bauhin pin. 189, 



PLANTAGO latifolia Ger. emac. 419. 



PLANTAGO latifolia vulgaris. Parkin/on. 493. Rati Syn. 314. Great Plantain or Waybread. Hud- 

 fin FI. Angl. p. 51. ' Oeder. FI. Dan. ic. 461. Lightfioot* FI. Scot. p. 117. 



RADIX vetufta pollicaris, praemorfa, plurimis fibris t ROOT when old the thicknefs of ones thumb, ftump- 



. albidis alte demiflis, terram firmiter apprehen- | ed, laying ftrong hold of the earth by its fibres, 



dens. % which ftrike deeply into it and are of a whitifli 



I colour. 



FOLIA petiolata przemorfa, ovata, feptemnervia, glabra, | LEAVES ftanding on footftalks, oval, having feven 

 juniora vero hirfutula, palmaria, margine mi- ? ribs, fmooth, but lomewhat hairy when young, 



nutim remoteque dentata. | about four fingers in length, the edge minutely 



% and remotely indented. 



PETIOLI longi, fubtus convexi, fupra concavi, bafi | FOOT-STALKS of the leaves long, convex on the 

 fubvaginati. f under fide, concave above, each forming a kind 



¥ of fheath at its bafe. 



SCAPI teretes, ere£ti, pubefcentes, foliis longiores. | FLOWER-STALKS, round, upright, pubefcent, and 



I longer than the leaves. 



SPICiE cylindrical, longae, floribus undique imbricate. | SPIKES cylindrical, long, furrounded on every fide 



I with flowers lying one over another. 



BRACTEA lanceolata, concava, fub fmgulo flofculo. t BRACTEA lanceolate, and hollow, under each flower. 



fisr. 1. I fig' l ' •'■,., 



CALYX: Perianthium tetraphyllum, foliolis ovatis, % CALYX: a Perianthium of four leaves, which are 



concavis, obtufis, lsevibus, fubaequalibus, per- | oval, concave, obtufe, fmooth, nearly equal 



Attentions, fig. 2. I and continuing, fig. 2. . 



COROLLA monopetala, perfiftens, marcefcens ; Tubus | COROLLA monopetalous, continuing, of a withered 



cylindrico-globofus, brevis, laciniis ovato-acu- I appearance ; Tube of a cylindrical globular 



tis reflexis. fig. 0.. f . form, and fhort ; the Segments oval, pointed, 



t and turned back. fig. 3. 



STAMINA: Filamenta quatuor, capillaria, patentia, | STAMINA: Filaments four, very fmall, fpreading, 



corolla multo longiora ; Anthers purpureas, ? much longer than the corolla ; Anthers pur- 



biloculares, fmgulo loculo bafi mucrone termi- | pie, bilocular, each cell terminating at bottom 



nato fip 4. ^ in a point, fig. 4. 



PISTILLUM '• Germen ovatum; Stylus filiformis, | PISTILLUM: Germen oval; Style filiform, fhorter 



' ftaminibus brevior, villofus ; Stigma fimplex. | than the Stamina, villous ; Stigma limple. 



PER t CARPIUm' Capsula ovata, circumfciffa, fufca, | SEED-VESSEL: an oval Capsule, dividing horizon- 

 continens Semina circiter 20 imequalia, fufca. | tally in the middle, and containing about 20 



fio- *\ 8. Q. 10. i unequal brown Seeds, fig. 7. 8. 9. 10. 



This fpecies of Plantain grows plentifully in Meadows, Gardens, and by the fides of Paths, and feems to nourifh 

 molt in places moderately trodden on, whence perhaps its name of Way-bread. 



In rich ground the leaves often grow to an enormous fize ; and in gardens we often find cultivated a very fmgu- 

 lar and monftrous variety of this plant, the Plantago rofia of fome botamfts, or Rofe Plantain of the Gardeners, in 

 which the flowers appear to be converted into leaves, which fpread open iomewhat like a role. 



Cattle in general appear very readily to eat the leaves, and the feeds are well known to afford food to many 

 of the fmall birds. 



It ufed to be held in confiderable efteem as a Medicine of the vulnerary kind : In the prefer* pra&ce the dril- 

 led water is fometimes made ufe of, and chiefly in ulcerations of the Mouth and Throat. By the common peo- 

 ple the leaves are often applied to frefh wounds, and burns. 



It differs remarkably in the number of its feeds from the Plantago lanceolata, in which we conftantly find two 

 large feeds ; but in this I have moft commonly found about twenty fmall ones; yet what is very extraordinary, 

 Ray and Scopoli mention its having only two. 



