Part 11 (1/2)

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 166.]

=Moth Mullein.= _Verbasc.u.m Blattaria_ L. Flowers yellow; pod 6 mm.

diameter; seeds light to dark brown, .5-1 mm. long, columnar, lateral surface slightly angular and 6-sided, base truncate or obliquely so and broader than the rounded apex, thus somewhat thimble-shaped, each lateral face deeply pitted in longitudinal rows, the pits in contiguous rows, alternating. Introduced from Europe. A vile weed in meadows and pastures.

=Velvet-Leaved Mullein.= _Verbasc.u.m Thapsus_ L. Flowers yellow; pod 6 mm. high; seeds cannot be distinguished with certainty by means of the ordinary lens from those of moth mullein. The pitted surface seems to predominate in _Verbasc.u.m Blattaria_, while the grooved surface seems to be more common in the seeds of V. Thapsus. Introduced from Europe.

Common in thin pastures.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 167.]

=Wall Speedwell.= _Veronica arvensis_ L. Pods heart-shaped; seeds dull, light yellow, flattened, oval, .7-1.1 mm. long on one side appearing as though the two ends had been brought together by bending. From Europe.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 168.]

=Common Speedwell.= _Veronica officinalis_ L. Pods heart-shaped; seeds dull, pale yellow, flattened, broadly oval to broadly obovate, .8-1.2 mm. long, with a small scar near the middle of one side, from which extends a faint line (raphe) to one extremity. Appearing as though introduced.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 169.]

=Purslane Speedwell.= _Veronica peregrina_ L. Pods heart-shaped; seeds dull, light reddish yellow, flattened, oval to broadly obovate .5-.8 mm.

long, with a small scar a little above the middle of one side, from which extends a dark line (raphe) to one extremity. Most likely native to this country.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 170.]

=Thyme-leaved Speedwell.= _Veronica serpyllifolia_ L. Pods broadly heart-shaped; seeds pale yellow, a trifle darker than those of V.

officinalis, light, reddish yellow, in shape and markings much like those of V. peregrina, flattened, broadly oval to obovate .5-.7 mm.

long, with a small scar near the middle on one side, from which extends a dark line (raphe) to one extremity.

Apparently native to this country.

Seeds of the Veronicas are very difficult to distinguish from one another.

PLANTAIN FAMILY. PLANTAGINACEAE.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 171.]

=Sand Plantain.= _Plantago arenaria_ W. & K. Seeds dark amber brown, s.h.i.+ning, rounded on the back like the bottom of a shallow canoe, 2.5-3 mm. long, transverse groove around the middle of the back, opposite side with a groove extending lengthwise, about as wide as the ridge on either side of it; hilum in the middle of the groove. Found at Harrisville, Mich.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 172.]

=Large-bracted Plantain.= _Plantago aristata_ Michx. Seeds oval, dull, light to dark brown, 2.2-3 mm. long, shaped like a shallow, thick-walled canoe with ends rounded alike, outer face marked by a shallow, transverse groove at or near the middle, a white line marking the margin at the base on the canoe inside, two white-margined pits occupying the middle of the concave side. Introduced from the west in clover seeds, not yet common.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 173.]

=Rib-Gra.s.s. Narrow-leaved Plantain.= _Plantago lanceolata_ L. Seeds s.h.i.+ning, amber-colored to brown, oval, 2-2.5 mm. long, shaped like a shallow, thick-walled canoe with ends rounded alike, a dark scar occupying the middle of the narrow concave side, a faint, transverse groove across the convex side near the middle sometimes apparent. Often found mixed with clover seeds from which it is very difficult to separate. Introduced from Europe.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 174.]

=Broad-leaved Plantain.= _Plantago major_ L. Seeds, light to dark brown or very nearly black, 1-1.5 mm. long, slightly flattened, with acute edges very variable in shape, oval, oblong, rhomboidal and trapezoid, the surface roughened by slender, colored ridges, appearing under the lens as slightly wavy lines, radiating from the scar. The clear light green color of the lower end of the leaf-stem is an easy mark to distinguish this plant from another broad-leaved plantain, _P. Rugelii_ in which the base of leaf is red. Introduced from Europe. About door yards.