Plantago australis
Plantago maritima
Mexican plantain
Alaska plantain, common plantain, goose tongue, maritime plantain, plantain maritime, salt marsh plantain, sea plantain, seaside plantain
0–10 mm.
0–40 mm, usually branched.
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.
10–220 × (1–)10–15 mm;
blade linear to lanceolate, margins entire or toothed, veins not conspicuous, surfaces glabrous, sometimes hairy.
30–560 mm, hairy, hairs antrorse, short.
40–120 mm, glabrous or hirsute.
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, (15–)50–200(–290) mm, densely or loosely flowered;
bracts broadly ovate, 1.5–4(–6) mm, length 0.8–1.2 times sepals.
sepals 2–2.5 mm;
corolla radially symmetric, lobes erect, forming a beak, 2–2.8 mm, base obtuse;
stamens 4.
sepals 1.5–3.5 mm;
corolla radially symmetric, tube hairy, lobes reflexed, 1–1.5 mm, base obtuse;
stamens 4.
3, 1.2–2.2 mm.
1–3, 1.5–3 mm.
= 24.
= 24.
Plantago australis
Plantago maritima
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 maritima has been reported from Utah; no specimen supporting that report has been found.
Since the 1930s, when Plantago maritima was shown to have high levels of phenotypic plasticity (J. W. Gregor and J. M. S. Lang 1950), it usually has been accepted in a broad sense. That approach is followed here, with all dwarf and loose-flowered forms (such as P. borealis and P. decipiens, respectively) included under this name.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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