Plantago helleri |
Plantago australis |
|
---|---|---|
Heller's plantain |
Mexican plantain |
|
Habit | Annuals; roots taproots, slender. | Perennials; caudex glabrous; roots fibrous, stout. |
Stems | 0–12 mm. |
0–10 mm. |
Leaves | 50–130 × 3–7 mm; blade linear, margins entire, veins conspicuous or not, surfaces villous, adaxial rarely glabrous. |
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. |
Scapes | 80–250 mm, hairy, hairs patent, long and antrorse, short. |
30–560 mm, hairy, hairs antrorse, short. |
Spikes | greenish, whitish, or brownish, 50–120 mm, densely flowered, flowers in whorls or pairs; bracts triangular, 2.5–8 mm, length 0.6–2.2 times sepals. |
greenish or brownish, 100–1000 mm, densely flowered; bracts narrowly triangular, 1.6–4.2 mm, length 0.8–1.5 times sepals. |
Flowers | sepals 3.5–4 mm; corolla radially symmetric, lobes reflexed, 3–3.6 mm, base slightly cordate; stamens 4, connective elongated, apex acute. |
sepals 2–2.5 mm; corolla radially symmetric, lobes erect, forming a beak, 2–2.8 mm, base obtuse; stamens 4. |
Seeds | 2, 3.2–3.8 mm. |
3, 1.2–2.2 mm. |
2n | = 20. |
= 24. |
Plantago helleri |
Plantago australis |
|
Phenology | Flowering spring. | Flowering summer. |
Habitat | Dry slopes and flats on limestone. | Open places. |
Elevation | 100–1700 m. (300–5600 ft.) | 0–1000 m. (0–3300 ft.) |
Distribution |
NM; TX
|
AZ; Mexico; Central America; South America
|
Discussion | Populations of Plantago helleri are concentrated in central Texas, especially in the Edwards Plateau and Trans-Pecos. The species also occurs in Eddy and Lincoln counties, New Mexico. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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.) |
Source | FNA vol. 17, p. 287. | FNA vol. 17, p. 284. |
Parent taxa | Plantaginaceae > Plantago | Plantaginaceae > Plantago |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | P. australis subsp. hirtella, P. hirtella, P. hirtella var. galeottiana, P. hirtella var. mollior | |
Name authority | Small: Bull. New York Bot. Gard. 1: 288. (1899) | Lamarck: in J. Lamarck and J. L. M. Poiret, Tabl. Encycl. 1: 339. (1792) |
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