THE GENUS PLANTAGO IN HAWAII 
201 
This variety differs from the species and from other varieties mainly in 
the simple, six-foot-tall stem which is glabrous, in the numerous spikes, 
and in the one-seeded locules. According to Wawra this variety has the 
appearance of a small palm and forms dense, almost impenetrable stands 
on the declivities of the lower Kaala range. 
Plantago princeps var. laxifolia A. Gray, Proc. Amer. Acad. 6: 
54. 1866. 
Stem 30 to 60 cm. high, more or less woody, hollow, with deciduous 
wool or straight, silky, fawn-colored hairs in the axils of the leaves; leaves 
10 to 15 cm. long, obovate-oblong, submembranous, 4 to 5 cm. broad, 
acute at the apex, gradually narrowing at the base into a winged petiole 
of 2.5 to 4 cm., 7- to 9-nerved, glabrous on both sides; spikes numerous, 30 
to 45 cm. long, glabrous or with a few hairs at the base of the corolla, densely 
flowered; corolla-tube one third longer than calyx, segments linear, reflexed; 
capsules slightly longer than the calyx, obtuse, 4-seeded. 
Hawaii: Stones by seaside, north base of Mauna Kea, U. S. Explor. 
Exped., in Gray Herb., specimen seen. 
Maui: Ravines back of Lahana, Hillebrand ex herb. Berlin, in College 
of Hawaii Herb. no. 16,002. 
Kauai: Waialeale (about 5,000 feet), no. 2204 in herb. Vienna, Wawra, 
(Wawra's description agrees well with the type in Gray Herb.) 
Variety laxifolia which is marked laxiflora'^ in Gray's handwriting 
on the type specimen, differs apparently very little from PL princeps var. 
denticulata Hillebr., the only difference being the hirsute or pubescent leaves 
and spikes. The denticulation of the leaves in var. denticulata is really 
not a distinguishing character as it occurs in other varieties. Wawra's 
statement that var. laxifolia is the only variety whose stem is glabrous is 
wrong, as glabrous stems occur also in var. denticulata. 
Though Wawra's description of his species which he refers to Gray's 
variety laxifolia agrees with the latter 's type, with the exception that there 
are no cilia present in the type on the margins of the sepals, it is hardly 
believable that plants of such widely differing localities as the beach of the 
north coast of Hawaii and the summit of Waialeale could be the same. The 
writer has not seen Wawra's specimens in the Vienna Herbarium and 
consequently cannot settle the question. There is a possibility that Wawra 
wrongly recorded the locality. He speaks of having two plants from 
Waialeale referable to this variety, one a very slender specimen, sparsely 
flowered and with long petiolate leaves and acute sepals, while the other, 
a more mature specimen, has a thicker stem, stiffer and shorter petiolate 
leaves and obtuse sepals. The fact that he says that the latter specimen 
may come close to a plant described by Gray as Plantago pachyphylla var. 
hawaiiensis subvar. gracilis leads us to suspect that he actually had a plant 
of the pachyphylla type rather than one belonging to princeps, especially as 
Plantago pachyphylla is represented on Waialeale by numerous varieties. 
