682 THE PLANTAIN FAMILY. 



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

 single species of Littorel. 



Leaves ovate or lanceolate, strongly ribbed. 



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

 seeded 1. Greater P. 



Leaves ovate, almost sessile. Spike cylindrical. Capsule 



2-seeded 2. Hoary P. 



Leaves lanceolate. Spike ovoid or shortly cylindrical. 



Capsule 2-seeded 3. Ribwort P. 



Leaves linear, entire or pinnatifid. 



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



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



1. Greater Plantain. Plantago major, Linn. (Fig. 820.) 

 (Eng. Bot. t. 1558.) 



Bootstock 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) pro- 

 minent, parallel ribs, converging at the 

 base into a rather long footstalk. Pe- 

 duncles usually longer than the leaves, 

 bearing a long, slender spike of sessile 

 flowers, smaller than in the two follow- 

 ing species. Sepals green in the centre, 

 s carious 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 



Very abundant in Britain. Fl. summer and autumn. It varies 



in size ; the spike of flowers is seldom less than 2 inches, some- 



as much as 6 inches, long. 



Fig. 820. 



globe 

 much 

 times 



2. Hoary Plantain. Plantago media, Linn. (Eig. 821.) 



(Eng. Bot. t. 1559.) 



Bootstock thick, almost woody, and branched as in the ribwort P. 

 Leaves ovate, sessile, usually closely spreading on the ground, more or 



