Burke: Plantago major vs. Plantago lanceolata

	Plantago major	Plantago lanceolata
	nippleseed, common plantain, great plantain	English plantain
Habit	Fibrous-rooted perennial from a short, stout, woody base, mostly glabrous, not woolly at the crown; scapes 5-25 cm. long.	Fibrous-rooted perennial from a short, stout, woody base, tan-woolly at the crown, the several scapes 1.5-6 dm. tall, grooved and ridged.
Leaves	Leaves all basal, the broadly elliptic to broadly ovate blade contracted abruptly to the petiole, entire or irregularly toothed, 4-18 cm. long and 2.5-11 cm. wide, strongly 3- to several-nerved.	Leaves all basal, woolly to glabrous, 3- to several-nerved, lance-elliptic, acute, 10-40 cm. long and 1-4 cm. wide.
Flowers	Inflorescence a dense, bracteate, narrow spike, 5-30 cm. long, glabrous; bracts broad, thin-margined, 2-4 mm. long; calyx 4-lobed; 4 corolla lobes 1 mm. long, reflexed; stamens 4, exerted; ovary superior, 2-celled.	Inflorescence a dense, bracteate, cylindric spike, 1.5-8 cm. long and 1 cm. wide; bracts thin, ovate, acuminate; the 4 sepals with strong mid-veins, the outer two united, with separate mid-veins; corolla lobes 4, 2-2.5 mm. long, spreading or reflexed; stamens 4, exerted; ovary superior, 2-celled.
Fruits	Capsule 2.5-4 mm. long.	Capsule 3-4 mm. long

	Plantago major	Plantago lanceolata
Flowering time	April-August	April-August
Habitat	Roadsides, fields and other disturbed, open areas.	Roadsides, fields, and other disturbed, open areas.
Distribution	Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east across North America to the Atlantic Coast. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	Occuring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east across North America to the Atlantic Coast; cosmopolitan. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Introduced from Europe	Introduced from Europe
Conservation status	Not of concern	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	P. arenaria, P. coronopus, P. elongata, P. lanceolata, P. macrocarpa, P. maritima, P. patagonica, P. pusilla, P. subnuda	P. arenaria, P. coronopus, P. elongata, P. macrocarpa, P. major, P. maritima, P. patagonica, P. pusilla, P. subnuda
Web links	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Plantago major

Plantago lanceolata

nippleseed, common plantain, great plantain

English plantain

Habit

Fibrous-rooted perennial from a short, stout, woody base, mostly glabrous, not woolly at the crown; scapes 5-25 cm. long.

Fibrous-rooted perennial from a short, stout, woody base, tan-woolly at the crown, the several scapes 1.5-6 dm. tall, grooved and ridged.

Leaves

Leaves all basal, the broadly elliptic to broadly ovate blade contracted abruptly to the petiole, entire or irregularly toothed, 4-18 cm. long and 2.5-11 cm. wide, strongly 3- to several-nerved.

Leaves all basal, woolly to glabrous, 3- to several-nerved, lance-elliptic, acute, 10-40 cm. long and 1-4 cm. wide.

Flowers

Inflorescence a dense, bracteate, narrow spike, 5-30 cm. long, glabrous;

bracts broad, thin-margined, 2-4 mm. long;

calyx 4-lobed; 4 corolla lobes 1 mm. long, reflexed;

stamens 4, exerted;

ovary superior, 2-celled.

Inflorescence a dense, bracteate, cylindric spike, 1.5-8 cm. long and 1 cm. wide;

bracts thin, ovate, acuminate; the 4 sepals with strong mid-veins, the outer two united, with separate mid-veins;

corolla lobes 4, 2-2.5 mm. long, spreading or reflexed;

stamens 4, exerted;

ovary superior, 2-celled.