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slender plantain

dwarf plantain, pale-seed plantain, paleseed indianwheat, Virginia plantain

Habit Annuals; roots taproots, slender. Annuals; roots taproots, slender.
Stems

0–10 mm.

0–20 mm.

Leaves

30–80 × 1–4 mm;

blade linear, margins lobed, rarely entire, veins conspicuous or not, surfaces hairy, sometimes glabrous.

20–120 × 4–25 mm;

blade obovate or narrowly obovate, margins toothed, veins conspicuous, surfaces pilose or glabrate.

Scapes

5–60 mm, hairy, sometimes glabrous.

30–240 mm, hairy, hairs patent, long.

Spikes

greenish or brownish, 50–150 mm, loosely or densely flowered;

bracts ovate, 2 mm, length 0.9–1.1 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 mm;

corolla radially symmetric, lobes spreading, 0.5–1 mm, base obtuse;

stamens 2.

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

10–25(–30), 0.5–0.8 mm.

2, brown or yellowish brown, 1.6–2 mm, adaxial face deeply concave.

2n

= 12.

= 24.

Plantago heterophylla

Plantago virginica

Phenology Flowering spring–early summer. Flowering spring–early summer.
Habitat Moist sandy soils. Sandy soils, disturbed areas.
Elevation 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.) 0–2300 m. (0–7500 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; DE; FL; GA; IL; KS; KY; LA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NJ; NY; OK; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA [Introduced in South America (Argentina)]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
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
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 287. FNA vol. 17, p. 293.
Parent taxa Plantaginaceae > Plantago Plantaginaceae > Plantago
Sibling taxa
P. afra, P. argyrea, P. aristata, P. australis, P. canescens, P. cordata, P. coronopus, P. elongata, P. erecta, P. eriopoda, P. firma, P. floccosa, P. helleri, P. hookeriana, P. indica, P. lanceolata, P. macrocarpa, P. major, P. maritima, P. media, P. ovata, P. patagonica, P. pusilla, P. rhodosperma, P. rugelii, P. sempervirens, P. sparsiflora, P. subnuda, P. tweedyi, P. virginica, P. wrightiana
P. afra, P. argyrea, P. aristata, P. australis, P. canescens, P. cordata, P. coronopus, P. elongata, P. erecta, P. eriopoda, P. firma, P. floccosa, P. helleri, P. heterophylla, P. hookeriana, P. indica, P. lanceolata, P. macrocarpa, P. major, P. maritima, P. media, P. ovata, P. patagonica, P. pusilla, P. rhodosperma, P. rugelii, P. sempervirens, P. sparsiflora, P. subnuda, P. tweedyi, P. wrightiana
Synonyms P. virginica var. viridescens
Name authority Nuttall: Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc., n.s. 5: 177. (1835) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 113. (1753)
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