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plantain des sables, sand plantain

coastal plantain, Mexican plantain, tall coastal plantain

Habit Annuals; roots taproots, slender. Perennials; caudex well developed, conspicuous, glabrous or hairy; roots taproots, fragile.
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.

60–360 × 15–65 mm;

blade elliptic to narrowly elliptic, margins toothed, veins conspicuous, surfaces pilose, rarely glabrate, adaxial surface hairs not floccose, less than 2 mm long, more than 0.03 mm wide.

Scapes

100–650 mm, hairy.

55–360 mm, hairy, hairs antrorse, long.

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.

greenish or brownish, 110–720 mm, densely or loosely flowered;

bracts ovate, rarely triangular, 2.5–4 mm, length 0.8–1.3 times sepals.

Flowers

sepals 2–3 mm;

corolla radially symmetric, lobes reflexed, 2–4 mm, base obtuse;

stamens 4.

sepals 2.6–3.1 mm;

corolla radially symmetric, lobes erect, forming a beak, 2.4–2.7 mm, base obtuse;

stamens 4.

Seeds

2, 2–2.5 mm.

3, 1.8–2.5 mm.

2n

= 12.

= 48.

Plantago indica

Plantago subnuda

Phenology Flowering late summer–fall. Flowering late spring–fall.
Habitat Roadsides, railroads, sandy shorelines. Moist ground.
Elevation 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.) 0–300 m. (0–1000 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
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]
from FNA
CA; OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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.)

Plantago subnuda occurs primarily in counties along the Pacific coast from southwestern Washington to southern California.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 288. 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. heterophylla, P. hookeriana, 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. tweedyi, P. virginica, P. wrightiana
Synonyms P. arenaria, P. psyllium
Name authority Linnaeus: Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 2: 896. 1759, legitimacy of — name in question Pilger: Notizbl. Königl. Bot. Gart. Berlin 5: 260. (1912)
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