Plantago australis
Plantago rugelii
Mexican plantain
blackseed plantain, plantain de Rugel, Rugel's plantain
0–10 mm.
0–20 mm.
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.
20–150 × 10–120 mm;
petiole to 200 mm;
blade ovate to cordate-ovate, margins entire or toothed, veins conspicuous, surfaces glabrous or hirsute.
30–560 mm, hairy, hairs antrorse, short.
50–250 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.
brownish or greenish, 50–300 mm, densely or loosely flowered;
bracts narrowly lanceolate, 2 mm, length 1–1.2 times sepals.
sepals 2–2.5 mm;
corolla radially symmetric, lobes erect, forming a beak, 2–2.8 mm, base obtuse;
stamens 4.
sepals 1.5–2 mm;
corolla radially symmetric, lobes reflexed, 0.5–1 mm, base obtuse;
stamens 4.
4–6(–8) mm, dehiscing proximal to middle.
3, 1.2–2.2 mm.
4 or 5(–8), 1.5–2 mm.
= 24.
= 24.
Plantago australis
Plantago rugelii
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.)
Plants of Plantago major and P. rugelii are morphologically indistinguishable when young; they may be differentiated with certainty only at fruiting stage. DNA sequence data (A. Shipunov et al. 2014) confirm that the two species are distinct: P. rugelii is different from P. major by 11 substitutions in the ITS2 sequence.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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