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California plantain, Hooker's plantain, tallow weed

pineland plantain

Habit Annuals; roots taproots, slender. Perennials; caudex well developed, conspicuous, glabrous; roots taproots, thick.
Stems

0–10 mm.

0–10 mm.

Leaves

60–120 × 4–10 mm;

blade linear, margins toothed (teeth to 4 mm), rarely entire, veins conspicuous or not, surfaces villous or sericeous.

50–300 × 10–30 mm;

blade lanceolate, margins entire, sometimes toothed, veins conspicuous, laterals branching from base, surfaces sparsely hairy.

Scapes

280–580 mm, hairy, hairs antrorse, long and short.

75–150 mm, sparsely hairy.

Spikes

greenish or brownish, 50–180 mm, densely flowered, flowers in whorls or pairs;

bracts ovate or triangular, 1.5–6 mm, length 0.6–1.4 times sepals, apex acute or acuminate.

brownish or greenish, 100–450 mm, loosely flowered, rachis visible between flowers;

bracts ovate, 1 mm, length 0.5–0.6 times sepals.

Flowers

sepals 2.5–4 mm;

corolla bilaterally symmetric, abaxial and lateral lobes reflexed, adaxial erect, 2.2–2.5 mm, base slightly cordate;

stamens 4, connective significantly elongated, apex acute.

sepals 2 mm;

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

stamens 4.

Seeds

2, 2.4–3.4 mm.

2, 2 mm.

2n

= 20.

= 24.

Plantago hookeriana

Plantago sparsiflora

Phenology Flowering spring. Flowering summer.
Habitat Sandy soils, disturbed areas. Moist, sandy soils, open, undisturbed pine woods.
Elevation 0–1300 m. (0–4300 ft.) 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
LA; MS; TX; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL; GA; NC; SC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Populations of Plantago sparsiflora occur mainly along the Atlantic coast from Columbia County, North Carolina, south to Volusia County, Florida.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 287. FNA vol. 17, p. 292.
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. heterophylla, 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. subnuda, P. tweedyi, P. virginica, P. wrightiana
Synonyms P. hookeriana var. nuda
Name authority Fischer & C. A. Meyer: Index Seminum (St. Petersburg) 1838: 39. (1839) Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 94. (1803)
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