THE RIB GRASS FAMILY. 



299 



astringent, and tlie greater portion are acrid and blistering, 

 as in Plumbago europea, which is used by beggars for raising 

 artificial sores. Many species of the genus Statice, natives 

 of the Cape of Good Hope and Canary Islands are well 

 known as ornamental greenhouse plants. " Sea Thrift" 

 Statice Armeria is common on the sea shores in this country, 

 and is frequently used for border edging in gardens. Plum- 

 bago carpentaz is an ornamental hardy perennial, native of 

 China. P. rosea and P. zeylanica are pretty flowering stove 

 plants 



The Rib Grass Family. 



(Plantaginace^.) 



Annual or perennial herbs or frutlets, having generally 

 broad or narrow leaves rising from a centre in a rosette 

 form, and usually ribbed from the base to the apex. Flowers 

 in simple compact spikes. Calyx 4-parted. Corolla thin, 

 4:-lobed, persistent. Stamens 4. Fruit a membranous 

 capsule, opening transversely (fig. 8), containing 1 or many 

 seeds. 



About 100 species are contained in this family, consisting 

 chiefly of species of the genus Plantago. They are generally 

 weedy plants, widely distributed, principally in temperate 

 regions, and represented in this country by Rib Grass 

 (P. (anceolata and P. major), the seed spikes of the latter 

 being in common use for feeding cage birds. P. media is 

 common in pastures and hayfields. Its retention of moisture 

 leads to great delay in the drying of hay, and its fermenta- 

 tion often causes haystacks to take fire, on which account 

 it is called by the farmers fire leaves. 



P. coronopus is common in waste places; it has divided 

 leaves, and in some localities has received the names of 

 Bucks Horn Plantain, or Star of the Earth. The leaves are 

 used in France as a salad. The seeds contain much mucilage ; 

 those of P. arenaria are imported from the South of France, 

 and used in the manufacture of muslin. 



