Plantago australis |
Plantago media |
|
---|---|---|
Mexican plantain |
hoary plantain, plantain moyen |
|
Habit | Perennials; caudex glabrous; roots fibrous, stout. | Perennials; caudex glabrous or hairy; 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. |
prostrate, sometimes ascending, 40–200 × 30–70 mm; blade elliptic to ovate, margins entire or toothed, veins conspicuous, surfaces hairy, hairs 0.5 mm. |
Scapes | 30–560 mm, hairy, hairs antrorse, short. |
80–300 mm, not groove-angled, hirsute. |
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, 100–400 mm, densely flowered, shiny; corolla lobes of neighboring flowers overlapping; bracts 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, 1.5 mm, base obtuse; stamens 4. |
Seeds | 3, 1.2–2.2 mm. |
2–4, 2 mm. |
2n | = 24. |
= 12, 24. |
Plantago australis |
Plantago media |
|
Phenology | Flowering summer. | Flowering summer. |
Habitat | Open places. | Disturbed areas, neutral and basic soils. |
Elevation | 0–1000 m. (0–3300 ft.) | 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.) |
Distribution |
AZ; Mexico; Central America; South America
|
CT; IL; MA; ME; MI; NH; NJ; NY; PA; RI; WI; MB; NB; ON; QC; Eurasia [Introduced in North America] |
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.) |
Three varieties of Plantago media have been recognized in western Europe. It is not clear how names of those varieties apply to P. media in eastern Europe and North America. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 17, p. 284. | FNA vol. 17, p. 290. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | P. australis subsp. hirtella, P. hirtella, P. hirtella var. galeottiana, P. hirtella var. mollior | |
Name authority | Lamarck: in J. Lamarck and J. L. M. Poiret, Tabl. Encycl. 1: 339. (1792) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 113. (1753) |
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