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Mexican plantain

arctic plantain, gray-pubescent plantain, Siberian plantain

Habit Perennials; caudex glabrous; roots fibrous, stout. Perennials; caudex usually woolly; roots taproots, thick.
Stems

0–10 mm.

0–20 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.

ascending, 180–250 × 6–20 mm;

blade linear to lanceolate or oblanceolate, margins entire, rarely toothed, veins conspicuous, surfaces glabrate or hairy, hairs 1 mm.

Scapes

30–560 mm, hairy, hairs antrorse, short.

50–230 mm, not groove-angled, hairy or glabrous.

Spikes

greenish or brownish, 100–1000 mm, densely flowered;

bracts narrowly triangular, 1.6–4.2 mm, length 0.8–1.5 times sepals.

grayish or whitish, 80–350 mm, usually densely flowered, shiny;

corolla lobes of neighboring flowers often overlapping;

bracts broadly ovate, 1.8–2 mm, length 0.9–1 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 mm, adaxial 2 nearly distinct;

corolla radially symmetric, lobes reflexed, 2 mm, base obtuse;

stamens 4.

Seeds

3, 1.2–2.2 mm.

3–7, 1–1.8 mm.

2n

= 24.

= 12.

Plantago australis

Plantago canescens

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering summer.
Habitat Open places. Grassy, gravelly, and rocky slopes, cliffs.
Elevation 0–1000 m. (0–3300 ft.) 0–2000 m. (0–6600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; Mexico; Central America; South America
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; MT; AB; BC; NT; NU; YT; Asia
[BONAP county map]
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.)

N. N. Tzvelev (1983) recognized six subspecies (including two in North America) within Plantago canescens; North American material is not segregated as such here.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 284. FNA vol. 17, p. 285.
Parent taxa Plantaginaceae > Plantago Plantaginaceae > Plantago
Sibling taxa
P. afra, P. argyrea, P. aristata, 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. 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
Synonyms P. australis subsp. hirtella, P. hirtella, P. hirtella var. galeottiana, P. hirtella var. mollior P. septata
Name authority Lamarck: in J. Lamarck and J. L. M. Poiret, Tabl. Encycl. 1: 339. (1792) Adams: Nouv. Mém. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes Moscou 9: 233, plate 13, fig. 1. (1834)
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