Plantago canescens
Plantago major
arctic plantain, gray-pubescent plantain, Siberian plantain
common plantain, great plantain, nippleseed, plantain majeur
0–20 mm.
0–20 mm.
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.
20–150(–400) × 10–120(–170) mm;
petiole to 200 mm;
blade ovate to cordate-ovate, margins entire or toothed, veins conspicuous, surfaces glabrous or hirsute.
50–230 mm, not groove-angled, hairy or glabrous.
50–250(–500) mm, surpassing leaves or not, glabrous or hirsute.
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.
brownish or greenish, (20–)50–300(–400) mm, densely flowered;
bracts lanceolate, 0.5–1 mm, length 0.3–0.7 times sepals.
sepals 2 mm, adaxial 2 nearly distinct;
corolla radially symmetric, lobes reflexed, 2 mm, base obtuse;
stamens 4.
sepals 1.5–2 mm;
corolla radially symmetric, lobes reflexed, 0.5–1 mm, base obtuse;
stamens 4.
(2–)4–5 mm, dehiscing at middle.
3–7, 1–1.8 mm.
5–35, 0.5–1 mm.
= 12.
= 12.
Plantago canescens
Plantago major
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.)
Subspecies intermedia (Gilibert) Lange is often accepted by European botanists as a separate species, Plantago uliginosa F. W. Schmidt. Observations suggest that plants referable to this taxon may occur in the United States; it has been reported from the New England states (A. Haines 2011). Subspecies intermedia is distinguished by more abundant (11–35) and smaller (0.8–1 mm) seeds, ascending spikes, ovoid fruits, and elliptic or lanceolate leaf blades. Without detailed morphologic and genetic investigations of North American plants similar to the study of European plants by M. Morgan-Richards and K. Wolff (1999), it is not possible to draw any conclusions about the status and distribution of this or any other possible infraspecific taxa of P. major in North America.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
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MI Flora, 
MN Wildflowers, 
MO Plants, 
PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. 
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USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
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