.PLANTAGO major.
Greater Plantain.
TETRANDRIA Monogynia.
G en. Char. Cal. 4-cleft. Cor. 4-cleft, inferior;
its limb reflexed. Stamina very long. Caps, with
• 2 cells, bursting all round.
Spec. Char. Leaves ovate, smoothish, somewhat
toothed, with longish footstalks. Stalk round.
Flowers imbricated. Seeds numerous.
Syn. Plantago major. Linn. Sp. PL 163. Sm. Ft.
Brit. 182. Uuds. 63. With. 195. Hull. 34.
Relh. 59. Sibth. 56. Abbot. 30. Curt. Lond.
fasc. 2. t. 11.
P. latifolia vulgaris. Raii Syn. 314. n. 1. 3 and 4.
F e w plants are more common than the Greater Plantain,
in pastures, waste or cultivated ground, and even in places
much trodden upon. It varies gready in size according to the
soil, and flowers at almost all seasons in mild weather.
Hoot perennial, consisting of numerous long fibres. Leaves
radical, upright or spreading, on channelled, ribbed footstalks,
(which vary in length, and are sometimes very long,)
ovate, broad, more or less toothed or waved, nearly smooth,
furnished with 7 or 9 ribs. Stalks several, longer than the
leaves, erect, simple, round, smooth or downy. Spike long,
slender, acute, of innumerable closely imbricated flowers.
Corolla and filaments white. Anther* incumbent, reddish.
Style and stigma simple and downy. Capsule membranous,
each cell containing several seeds, as Mr. Curtis very
justly observes. The seeds are eaten by small birds, and are
frequently given to those kept in cages. The juices of the
plant are slightly astringent and mucilaginous, but no great
dependance is at present placed on its healing powers.