366 THE PLANTAIN FAMILY. [Plantago. 



terminating in a long, simple style. Capsule opening trans- 

 versely or indehiscent. 



A small Order, widely spread over the globe, but most abundant in 

 the temperate regions of the Old World. 



Flowers hermaphrodite, in terminal heads or spikes . . 1. Plantago. 



Flowers unisexual, solitary, or 2 together, the males stalked, the 



females sessile amongst the leaves 2. Littorella. 



I. PLANTAGO. PLANTAIN. 



Flowers hermaphrodite, in heads or spikes on a leafless peduncle. 

 Capsule 2- or 4-celled, with 2 or more seeds. 



The genus comprises the whole family, with the exception of the 

 single species of Littorella, 



Leaves ovate or lanceolate, strongly ribbed. 



Leaves very broad, stalked. Spike long. Capsule several- 

 seeded 1. P. major. 



Leaves ovate, almost sessile. Spike cylindrical. Capsule 1- 



seeded 2. P. media. 



Leaves lanceolate. Spike ovoid, or shortly cylindrical. Capsule 



2-seeded 3. P. lanceolata. 



Leaves linear, entire or pinnatifid. 



Leaves entire, or very slightly toothed. Ovary 2-celled . . 4. P. maritima. 



Leaves deeply toothed or pinnatifid. Ovary 4-celled . . . 5. P. Coronopus. 



1. P. major, Linn. (fig. 828). Greater P. — Eootstock short and 

 thick. Leaves erect or spreading, broadly ovate, often 4 or 5 inches 

 long and nearly as broad, entire or toothed, glabrous or downy, marked 

 with 7 (rarely 9 or only 5) prominent, parallel ribs, converging at the 

 base into a rather long footstalk. Peduncles usually longer than the 

 leaves, bearing a long, slender spike of sessile flowers, smaller than 

 in the two following species. Sepals green in the centre, scarious 

 on the edges. Stamens longer than the corolla, but shorter than in 

 the two following species. Capsule 2-celled, with from 4 to 8 seeds 

 in each cell. 



In pastures, on roadsides, and in waste places, throughout Europe 

 and Russian and central Asia, and has spread with cultivation over 

 almost every part of the globe. Very abundant in Britain. Fl. 

 summer and autumn. It varies much in size ; the spike of flowers is 

 seldom less than 2 inches, sometimes as much as 6 inches long. [P. 

 intermedia, Gilis., is a dwarf downy form with ascending scapes.] 



2. P. media, Linn. (fig. 829). Hoary P. — Rootstock thick, almost 

 woody, and branched as in P. lanceolata. Leaves ovate, sessile, usually 

 closely spreading on the ground, more or less hoary with a short down, 

 and marked with 5 or 7 ribs. Peduncles long and erect, bearing a 

 dense cylindrical spike, shorter and much thicker than in P. major, 

 but yet longer than in P. lanceolata, varying from 1 to near 2 inches in 

 length. Flowers and capsules of P. lanceolata, except that the 4 sepals 

 are free, the corolla more silvery, and the stamens pink or purple. 

 Ovary with 2 seeds in each cell, but they often do not all ripen, and 

 the capsule has then but 3 or 2 altogether. 



In dry, close pastures, chiefly in limestone districts, in most parts of 

 Europe and western Asia. Abundant in similar situations in England 



