Plantago indica |
Plantago sparsiflora |
|
---|---|---|
plantain des sables, sand plantain |
pineland plantain |
|
Habit | Annuals; roots taproots, slender. | Perennials; caudex well developed, conspicuous, glabrous; roots taproots, thick. |
Stems | 100–350 mm, freely branched. |
0–10 mm. |
Leaves | cauline, opposite, 60–80 × 1–3 mm; blade linear to linear-lanceolate, margins entire or toothed, veins conspicuous or not, surfaces hairy. |
50–300 × 10–30 mm; blade lanceolate, margins entire, sometimes toothed, veins conspicuous, laterals branching from base, surfaces sparsely hairy. |
Scapes | 100–650 mm, hairy. |
75–150 mm, sparsely hairy. |
Spikes | greenish or brownish, (50–)150–250 mm, densely flowered, eglandular; bracts proximal strongly differing from distal, ovate, 2–5(–7) mm, length 1–1.5 times sepals, proximal bracts: apex acute. |
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 2–3 mm; corolla radially symmetric, lobes reflexed, 2–4 mm, base obtuse; stamens 4. |
sepals 2 mm; corolla radially symmetric, lobes spreading, 1 mm, base obtuse; stamens 4. |
Seeds | 2, 2–2.5 mm. |
2, 2 mm. |
2n | = 12. |
= 24. |
Plantago indica |
Plantago sparsiflora |
|
Phenology | Flowering late summer–fall. | Flowering summer. |
Habitat | Roadsides, railroads, sandy shorelines. | Moist, sandy soils, open, undisturbed pine woods. |
Elevation | 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.) | 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.) |
Distribution |
CA; CT; DE; IA; IL; IN; MA; ME; MI; MN; MO; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; VA; VT; WA; WI; BC; MB; ON; QC; Eurasia [Introduced in North America] |
FL; GA; NC; SC
|
Discussion | While considering the proposal made by W. L. Applequist (2006) to reject Plantago psyllium, the Nomenclature Committee for Vascular Plants also decided that P. indica is a legitimate name (R. K. Brummitt 2009). A. B. Doweld and A. Shipunov (2017) published a proposal to reject P. indica in favor of P. arenaria. That proposal awaits a decision by that committee. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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. 288. | FNA vol. 17, p. 292. |
Parent taxa | Plantaginaceae > Plantago | Plantaginaceae > Plantago |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | P. arenaria, P. psyllium | |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 2: 896. 1759, legitimacy of — name in question | Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 94. (1803) |
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