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T E T R A N D R I A Monogynia.
G en. C har. Cal. 4-cleft. Cor. 4-cleft; its limb reflexed.
Stamina very long. Cap/, with two cells,
burfting all round.
Spec. C h ar. Leaves linear, moftlyentire, channelled,
woolly at the bafe. Spike cylindrical. Stalk round.
Sy n . Plantago maritima. Linn. Sp. PI. 165. HuaJ.
FI. An. 64. With. Bot. Arr. 144. Relb* Cant.
Suppl. 2. 9.
P. marina. Rail Syn. 315.
O plant varies more in fize than this. Its leaves are fome-
times fcarcely an inch, at other times more than a foot in
length. The height o f the Italic is more conftant, but the number
of flowers in the fpike varies beyond computation. Ours is
a moderately luxuriant fpecimen. It loves a muddy foil,
and flowers late in the fummer. The root is perennial.
It is as various in its place of growth as in fize, being
found on the higheft of our mountains as well as on the
lhore, like Statice armeria. Hence it has been taken for
P. alpina, which lalt is a very different plant, with fhort oval
fpikes, and lanceolate flat leaves, and has never (we believe)
been found in Britain. Still lefs refemblance has our Plantago,
though it has fometimes dentated leaves, to P. Loeflingii, that
having flat leaves, and very fhort roundifh pale fpikes of flowers,
much like thofe of P. Pfyllium, and having certainly never been
met with in our ifland.
P. maritima may be known by its very flefhy and fmooth
eaves, channelled above and concave below, with a tuft of
wool at their bafe, which indeed occurs in other fpecies. The
fpike, however fhort, is always cylindrical.
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