68 
Colorado Agricultural Colllge 
30. PLANTAIN FAMILY 
( Plantaginaceae ) 
Fruit a capsule splitting by a circular, horizontal line, the 
upper part coming off like a lid, or a nutlet not splitting open at 
maturity; seeds with flattened or concave faces; endosperm fleshy; 
embryo mostly straight. 
Plantain, Rib-grass 
{Plantago {Tourn.) L.) 
Capsule thin and somewhat translucent ; seeds numerous, with flattened 
faces, or hollowed out on one side giving a boat-like appearance. 
Key to Species 
Seeds with flattened faces 
Seeds black 1 . . P. rugelii 
Seeds brown in color 2..P. major 
Seeds with a hollow or concave side 
Seeds with a transverse groove on the rounded side 3..P. purshii 
Seeds not grooved on the rounded side 4 . . P. lanceolata 
Fig. 129. Rugel’s Plantain 
(Plantago rugelii). A. Capsule. 
B. Top view of seeds. C. Bottom 
view. X 10. 
2. Common Plantain, Broad- 
leaved Plantain (Plmitago major L.) 
(Fig. 130). — Seeds dull, dark russet in 
color, irregular, varying in shape as in 
P. rugelii, marked, on the rounded side, 
with fine parallel lines running the 
length of the seed; the lines on the 
several faces appear to radiate from 
the central scar to the margin of the 
seed; seeds 1. 2-2.5 mm. long. 
1. Rugel’s I’lantain, Red-stem 
Plantain (Plantago rugelii, Dec.) 
(Fig. 129). — Seeds dull, mostly 
black, irregular, mostly oval in 
shape but often oblong or sometimes 
nearly square, rounded on one side, 
flattened into several faces on the 
other, the faces sloping away from 
a distinct scar near the center ; 
seeds 1.2-2. 5 mm. long, roughened 
but not marked with a network of 
ridges. 
Fig. 130. Common 
Plantain (Plantago ma- 
jor). a. & b. Top view. 
;. llottom view, x 13. 
