Plantago australis |
Plantago aristata |
|
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Mexican plantain |
bottlebrush indianwheat, bract plantain, bristly plantain, large bract plantain |
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Habit | Perennials; caudex glabrous; roots fibrous, stout. | Annuals; roots taproots, slender. |
Stems | 0–10 mm. |
20–40 mm. |
Leaves | 40–350 × 6–77 mm; blade elliptic to narrowly elliptic, margins entire, veins conspicuous, surfaces pilose, rarely glabrate, adaxial surface hairs not floccose, less than 2 mm long, more than 0.03 mm wide. |
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. |
Scapes | 30–560 mm, hairy, hairs antrorse, short. |
100–500 mm, hairy, hairs antrorse, long and short. |
Spikes | greenish or brownish, 100–1000 mm, densely flowered; bracts narrowly triangular, 1.6–4.2 mm, length 0.8–1.5 times sepals. |
greenish or brownish, 80–150 mm, densely flowered, flowers in whorls or pairs; bracts almost linear, 15–30 mm, length 2–12 times sepals. |
Flowers | sepals 2–2.5 mm; corolla radially symmetric, lobes erect, forming a beak, 2–2.8 mm, base obtuse; stamens 4. |
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. |
Seeds | 3, 1.2–2.2 mm. |
2, 2.5–2.9 mm. |
2n | = 24. |
= 20. |
Plantago australis |
Plantago aristata |
|
Phenology | Flowering summer. | Flowering spring–fall. |
Habitat | Open places. | Roadsides, pastures, disturbed ground. |
Elevation | 0–1000 m. (0–3300 ft.) | 0–700 m. (0–2300 ft.) |
Distribution |
AZ; Mexico; Central America; South America
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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]
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Discussion | Plantago australis occurs in Cochise, Coconino, and Pima counties. Plantago australis is most diverse in South America, where as many as 16 subspecies (K. Rahn 1974) may be recognized. Plants from California identified as P. hirtella are most likely P. subnuda. However, since the most important distinguishing character of P. australis is the absence of the developed taproot (which is fragile and often broken in herbarium specimens), all these samples require careful examination. Further research is needed also to clarify the circumscriptions of P. australis and P. subnuda. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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. 284. |
Parent taxa | Plantaginaceae > Plantago | Plantaginaceae > Plantago |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | P. australis subsp. hirtella, P. hirtella, P. hirtella var. galeottiana, P. hirtella var. mollior | P. patagonica var. aristata, P. purshii var. aristata |
Name authority | Lamarck: in J. Lamarck and J. L. M. Poiret, Tabl. Encycl. 1: 339. (1792) | Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 95. (1803) |
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