Plantago major
Plantago media
common plantain, great plantain, nippleseed, plantain majeur
hoary plantain, plantain moyen
0–20 mm.
0–20 mm.
20–150(–400) × 10–120(–170) mm;
petiole to 200 mm;
blade ovate to cordate-ovate, margins entire or toothed, veins conspicuous, surfaces glabrous or hirsute.
prostrate, sometimes ascending, 40–200 × 30–70 mm;
blade elliptic to ovate, margins entire or toothed, veins conspicuous, surfaces hairy, hairs 0.5 mm.
50–250(–500) mm, surpassing leaves or not, glabrous or hirsute.
80–300 mm, not groove-angled, hirsute.
brownish or greenish, (20–)50–300(–400) mm, densely flowered;
bracts lanceolate, 0.5–1 mm, length 0.3–0.7 times sepals.
grayish or whitish, 100–400 mm, densely flowered, shiny;
corolla lobes of neighboring flowers overlapping;
bracts ovate, 1.8–2 mm, length 0.9–1 times sepals.
sepals 1.5–2 mm;
corolla radially symmetric, lobes reflexed, 0.5–1 mm, base obtuse;
stamens 4.
sepals 2 mm, adaxial 2 nearly distinct;
corolla radially symmetric, lobes reflexed, 1.5 mm, base obtuse;
stamens 4.
(2–)4–5 mm, dehiscing at middle.
5–35, 0.5–1 mm.
2–4, 2 mm.
= 12.
= 12, 24.
Plantago major
Plantago media
Subspecies intermedia (Gilibert) Lange is often accepted by European botanists as a separate species, Plantago uliginosa F. W. Schmidt. Observations suggest that plants referable to this taxon may occur in the United States; it has been reported from the New England states (A. Haines 2011). Subspecies intermedia is distinguished by more abundant (11–35) and smaller (0.8–1 mm) seeds, ascending spikes, ovoid fruits, and elliptic or lanceolate leaf blades. Without detailed morphologic and genetic investigations of North American plants similar to the study of European plants by M. Morgan-Richards and K. Wolff (1999), it is not possible to draw any conclusions about the status and distribution of this or any other possible infraspecific taxa of P. major in North America.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Three varieties of Plantago media have been recognized in western Europe. It is not clear how names of those varieties apply to P. media in eastern Europe and North America.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
- Local floras:
BC, 
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
Go Botany, 
IL Wildflowers, 
KS Wildflowers, 
LA Plants, 
MD Biodiversity, 
MI Flora, 
MN Wildflowers, 
MO Plants, 
PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
