Plantago australis |
Plantago virginica |
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Mexican plantain |
dwarf plantain, pale-seed plantain, paleseed indianwheat, Virginia plantain |
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Habit | Perennials; caudex glabrous; roots fibrous, stout. | Annuals; roots taproots, slender. |
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. |
20–120 × 4–25 mm; blade obovate or narrowly obovate, margins toothed, veins conspicuous, surfaces pilose or glabrate. |
Scapes | 30–560 mm, hairy, hairs antrorse, short. |
30–240 mm, hairy, hairs patent, long. |
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 yellowish, 38–260 mm, densely or loosely flowered; bracts narrowly ovate or ovate, 1.6–2.5 mm, length 0.7–1 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 1.5–2.4 mm, apex obtuse; corolla radially symmetric, lobes erect, forming a beak, 1.1–2.9 mm, base obtuse; stamens 4. |
Seeds | 3, 1.2–2.2 mm. |
2, brown or yellowish brown, 1.6–2 mm, adaxial face deeply concave. |
2n | = 24. |
= 24. |
Plantago australis |
Plantago virginica |
|
Phenology | Flowering summer. | Flowering spring–early summer. |
Habitat | Open places. | Sandy soils, disturbed areas. |
Elevation | 0–1000 m. (0–3300 ft.) | 0–2300 m. (0–7500 ft.) |
Distribution |
AZ; Mexico; Central America; South America
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AL; AR; AZ; CA; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NE; NJ; NM; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; WI; WV; ON; n Mexico
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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.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 17, p. 284. | FNA vol. 17, p. 293. |
Parent taxa | Plantaginaceae > Plantago | Plantaginaceae > Plantago |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | P. australis subsp. hirtella, P. hirtella, P. hirtella var. galeottiana, P. hirtella var. mollior | P. virginica var. viridescens |
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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