Plantago heterophylla
Plantago australis
slender plantain
Mexican plantain
0–10 mm.
0–10 mm.
30–80 × 1–4 mm;
blade linear, margins lobed, rarely entire, veins conspicuous or not, surfaces hairy, sometimes 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.
5–60 mm, hairy, sometimes glabrous.
30–560 mm, hairy, hairs antrorse, short.
greenish or brownish, 50–150 mm, loosely or densely flowered;
bracts ovate, 2 mm, length 0.9–1.1 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.
sepals 2 mm;
corolla radially symmetric, lobes spreading, 0.5–1 mm, base obtuse;
stamens 2.
sepals 2–2.5 mm;
corolla radially symmetric, lobes erect, forming a beak, 2–2.8 mm, base obtuse;
stamens 4.
10–25(–30), 0.5–0.8 mm.
3, 1.2–2.2 mm.
= 12.
= 24.
Plantago heterophylla
Plantago australis
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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