368 THE PLANTAIN FAMILY. [ Littorella. 
II. LITTORELLA. LITTOREL. 
A single species, distinguished generally from Plantago by the inflores- 
cence, the moneecious flowers, and a 1-seeded, indehiscent fruit. ~ 
1, L. lacustris, Linn. (fig. 831). Common Littorel.—The small 
perennial rootstock bears a tuft of bright green, narrow-linear, entire 
radical leaves, from 13 to 3 inches long. Male peduncles radical, about an 
inch long, with a single or rarely two terminal flowers, and a small bract 
lower down. Sepals narrow. Corolla like that of a Plantago, but with 
small lobes. The stamens, which form the most conspicuous part of the 
plant, have slender filaments, full half an inch long, terminated by large, 
ovate anthers. Female flowers concealed amongst the leaves, consisting of 
a sessile calyx, split into 3 or 4 unequal sepals, enclosing a small ovary, 
with a long thread-like style. Fruit a small nut. 
In mud and wet sand, on the margins of pools, in northern Europe, 
extending far into the Arctic regions, but chiefly confined to mountains in 
central and southern Europe. Appears to be widely distributed in Britain, 
though seldom observed, for it often remains under water without flowering, 
when its leaves become longer and grass-like. Fl. summer, 
LXI. ILLECEBRACEA. THE ILLECEBRUM FAMILY. 
Paronychiacee of earlier editions. 
Low herbs, either annual or with a perennial, sometimes 
woody stock, and annual flowering branches, usually spreading 
or decumbent; opposite or rarely alternate leaves ; -small 
scarious stipules (rarely deficient) ; and small, often granular 
flowers, in terminal or axillary cymes or bunches, rarely soli- 
tary. Calyx shortly or deeply divided into 5, rarely 4 or 3 
lobes or segments, Petals either as many, inserted at the base 
of the sepals, or represented by as many small filaments, or 
none. Stamens as many as the sepals, rarely fewer, inserted 
between the petals. Ovary and capsule l-celled. Styles or 
sessile stigmas 2 or 3. Seeds solitary, with a curved embryo, 
and mealy albumen. 
A small Order, widely diffused over the globe, intermediate, as it were, 
between Caryophyllacee, next to which it had been placed in the first 
edition of this Handbook, and Amarantacee, to which it appears on the 
whole the most nearly allied, for the petals, except in Corrigiola, are 
reduced to small filaments, which may be considered as imperfect stamens, 
or are altogether wanting as in Amarantacee, thus placing them amongst 
Monochlamyde. 
Leaves alternate, is . . ; . hia : - «+ I, CorRrr@qIona. 
Leaves opposite. , 
Calyx with a distinct ovoid or globular tube . : . . 4 SCLERANTHUS, 
Calyx divided almost to the base. + 
Flowers green, Calyx without points. : . . 2, HERNTIARIA, 
Flowers white. Calyx with five points : . : . 3, ILLECEBRUM. 
