PLANTAGO MARITIMA. SEASIDE PLANTAIN.
PLANTAGO maritima; foliis linearibus subintegerrimis canaliculatis basi lanatis, spica cylindrica,
scapo tereti. Sm.
PLANTAGO maritima. Linn. Sp. PI. p. 165. Huds. Angl. p. 64. L ig h tf. Scot. p. 54. With. Bot.
A rr. ed. 4. vol. 2. p. 194. Fl. Dan. t. 243. Hoffm. Germ.ed. 2. ml. I. P . 1. p. 76.
Willd. Sp. PI. ml. 1. p. 647. Smith Fl. Brit. p. 184. Engl. Bot. t. 175. Decand. Fl.
Fr. ed. 3. m l: 3. p. 412. Fl. Gall. Syn. p. 201. Pers. Syn. PI. ml. 1. p. 139. Pursh
Fl. N . Am. ml. 1. p. 99- Wahl. Lapp. p. 50. Alton Hort. Kezv. ed. 2. ml. 1. p. 254.
Hook. Fl. Scot. P . I. p . 54.
PLANTAGO squamata. Fl. Dan. t: 691 •
PLANTAGO marina. Sea-side Plantain. Raii Syn. p. 315.
|S. PLANTAGO hirsutissima, foliis lineari-lanceolatis.
Dan. Ravnefod. Dut. Zeckants weegbree. Fr. L e Plantain maritime. Germ. Seewegerich.
Island. Kattartunga. Norw. Strandkaal. Russ. Primorskoi popouschnik. Swed. Strandgrob
lad. Westfriesl. Krokkeling.
Class a n d O r d e r . T E TRANDRIA MONOGYNIA.
[N a tu r a l Or d e r . PLANTAGINEÆ.]
G e n . Ch a r . Calyx quadrifidus. Corolla quadrifida, inféra ; limbo reflexo. Stamina longissima. Capsula bi-
locularis, circumscissa. Sm.
Ge n . C ha r . Calyx four-cleft. Corolla four-cleft, inferior ; limb reflexed. Stamens very long. Capsule two-
celled, opening all round transversely.
Ra d ix perennis, longe descendens, fusiformis, lignosa,
ramosa, superne non raro multiceps.
Folia omnia radicalia, numerosa, linearia, tri-sex-unci-
alia, glabra (in (3. fere lanceolata, hirsutissima),
carnosa, superne canaliculata, margine integer-
rima, vel fide Smithii nunc denticulata, apice ob-
tusa, basi semper albo-Janata.
Sc a pi plures ex eadem radice, teretes, erecti, semipe-
dales ad pedalem, glabriusculi, in /3 hirsuti.
Spica terminalis, solitaria, bi-triuncialis.
Flores numerosi, omnino sessiles, undique imbricati :
Bractea ovata, sub singulo flore, concava, obtusa,
subpubescens, margine scariosa'.
Ca ly x e foliolis quatuor persistentibus, bracteis om-
nino sim illimis, imbricatis, tubo corollas paulo
brevioribus.
Corolla marcescens, tubo subcylindrico, flavo, basi
inflato ; limbo quadrifido, segmentis ovatis, re-
curvis, füscis, margine flavescente.
S t am in a quatuor, corolla duplo longiora : Filamenta
prope basin corollas, tubi inserta, alba : Antheroe
subsagittatæ, flavæ, ad marginem aperientes.
PisTiLLUMovato-globosum, glabrum,viride: Stylus bre-
viusculus: Stigma longum, filiforme, pubescens.
Ca psula circumscissa, corolla calyceque persistentibus j
tecta, ovata, fusca, stylo terminata ; bilocularis,
loculis monospermis : Dissepimentum liberum.
Sem in a oblonga, peltata, atro-fusca : Albumen subcor-
neum : Embryo immersus, transversus.
Root perennial, striking deep into the earth, spindle-
shaped, woody, branched, frequently separating
into many heads.
Leaves all radical, numerous, linear, three to six inches
long, glabrous (in (3. almost lanceolate, very hairy),
fleshy, channelled above, margins quite entire, or
according to Smith sometimes toothed, blunt at
the points, always clothed with white down at
their bases.
F lower-sta lks many from one root, rounded, erect,
from half a foot to a foot high, smoothish, in B.
hairy.
Sp ik e terminal, solitary, two or three inches long.
Flowers numerous, quite sessile, imbricated all round:
Bracteas ovate, one to each flower, concave, obtuse,
somewhat downy, scariose at the margin.
Ca ly x composed o f four persistent leaflets, quite similar
to bracteas, imbricated, rather shorter than
the tube o f the corolla.
Corolla marcescent, its tube subcylindrical, yellow, inflated
a t the base ; the limb four-cleft, segments
ovate, recurved, brown, yellowish at the margin.
St am e n s four, twice as long as the corolla : Filaments
near the base of the corolla, inserted in the tube,
white: Anthers subsagittate, yellow, opening
along the margin.
P is t il ovato-globose, smooth, green : Style very green :
Stigma long, filiform, downy.
Ca psule opening all round transversely, covered with
the persistent calyx and corolla, ovate, brown,
terminated by the style ; two-celled, cells one-
seeded : Dissepiment free.
Se ed s oblong, peltate, blackish-brown: Albumen somewhat
horny : Embryo immersed, transverse.
Fig-}- Common appearance of Plantago maritima ; and fig. 2. variety ft. natural size. Fig. 3. Single flower.
Fig. 4. Corolla cut open. Fig. 5. Capsule. Fig. 6. 6. The same, cut open. Fig. 7- Single seed. Fig. 8. The
same cut open to show the embryo and albumen.— A ll but figs. 1 and 2 more or less magnified.
A common species of Plantain ; but by no means confined, as its specific name would seem to imply, to the
neighbourhood of the sea. I t is abundant upon the shores of some fresh-water lakes, as Loch Lomond for example
; and thence, not improbably, being dispersed, it is sometimes found on the sides of mountains, even at considerable
elevations.
A very singular variety of this plant has been observed, by my intelligent young friend Mr. G. Anderson of In verness,
on rocks by the sea near the House of Skail, in Pomona, one of the Orkney Islands. If I had not possessed
individuals from Iceland, which are intermediate between it and the common state of P. maritima, I should
have been disposed to constitute of this Orkney variety a new species. Its whole height is but from two to four
inches, and it is entirely covered with longish closely set hairs: add to which, that the leaves approach to the lanceolate
form, and can scarcely be called fleshy. This' state of the plant is given at fig . 2 . o f the accompanying
plate.
In general appearance Mr. Anderson’s variety has more affinity with P . argentea than it has with P . maritima;
but in P. argentea the leaves have a silky pubescence, and the spike is almost spherical: or with P. Bellardi,
which has, however, the bracteas of its inflorescence awl-shaped.