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bottlebrush indianwheat, bract plantain, bristly plantain, large bract plantain

alkali plantain, hairy fruit plantain, plantain à base velue, redwool plantain, saline plantain

Habit Annuals; roots taproots, slender. Perennials; caudex well developed, conspicuous, brown-woolly; roots taproots, thick.
Stems

20–40 mm.

0–20 mm.

Leaves

30–200 × 3–7 mm;

blade linear or narrowly lanceolate, margins entire, rarely toothed, veins conspicuous or not, abaxial surface villous, adaxial glabrous or sparsely villous.

(30–)50–250 × (5–)15–70 mm;

blade lanceolate to elliptic, margins entire, veins conspicuous, laterals branching from base, surfaces glabrous or hairy.

Scapes

100–500 mm, hairy, hairs antrorse, long and short.

(40–)50–300 mm, glabrous or hairy.

Spikes

greenish or brownish, 80–150 mm, densely flowered, flowers in whorls or pairs;

bracts almost linear, 15–30 mm, length 2–12 times sepals.

brownish or greenish, (25–)80–500 mm, loosely flowered, rachis visible between flowers;

bracts broadly ovate, 2–2.5 mm, length 0.8–1.2 times sepals.

Flowers

sepals 2.7–3.7 mm;

corolla bilaterally symmetric, lobes reflexed, adaxials 1.4–2.3 mm, laterals symmetric, base deeply cordate;

stamens 4, connective elongated, apex acute.

sepals 2–2.5 mm;

corolla radially symmetric, lobes reflexed, 1–1.5 mm, base obtuse;

stamens 4.

Seeds

2, 2.5–2.9 mm.

2–4, 2–2.5 mm.

2n

= 20.

= 24.

Plantago aristata

Plantago eriopoda

Phenology Flowering spring–fall. Flowering late spring–early summer.
Habitat Roadsides, pastures, disturbed ground. Moist meadows and prairies, wetlands, marshes, fens, ditches, stream banks, saline or alkaline soils.
Elevation 0–700 m. (0–2300 ft.) 0–2900 m. (0–9500 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CA; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; NS; ON [Introduced in Central America, Europe, Asia]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; AZ; CA; CO; IA; ID; MN; MT; ND; NE; NM; NV; NY; OR; SD; UT; WY; AB; BC; MB; NT; QC; SK; YT; Mexico (Durango)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Plantago aristata is similar to P. patagonica; the latter is distinguished by its dense, villous indument.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 284. FNA vol. 17, p. 286.
Parent taxa Plantaginaceae > Plantago Plantaginaceae > Plantago
Sibling taxa
P. afra, P. argyrea, P. australis, P. canescens, P. cordata, P. coronopus, P. elongata, P. erecta, P. eriopoda, P. firma, P. floccosa, P. helleri, P. heterophylla, P. hookeriana, P. indica, P. lanceolata, P. macrocarpa, P. major, P. maritima, P. media, P. ovata, P. patagonica, P. pusilla, P. rhodosperma, P. rugelii, P. sempervirens, P. sparsiflora, P. subnuda, P. tweedyi, P. virginica, P. wrightiana
P. afra, P. argyrea, P. aristata, P. australis, P. canescens, P. cordata, P. coronopus, P. elongata, P. erecta, P. firma, P. floccosa, P. helleri, P. heterophylla, P. hookeriana, P. indica, P. lanceolata, P. macrocarpa, P. major, P. maritima, P. media, P. ovata, P. patagonica, P. pusilla, P. rhodosperma, P. rugelii, P. sempervirens, P. sparsiflora, P. subnuda, P. tweedyi, P. virginica, P. wrightiana
Synonyms P. patagonica var. aristata, P. purshii var. aristata P. shastensis
Name authority Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 95. (1803) Torrey: Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. New York 2: 237. (1827)
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