Plantago major
Plantago patagonica
common plantain, great plantain, nippleseed, plantain majeur
Indian wheat, Patagonia plantain, Pursh's plantain, woolly plantain
0–20 mm.
0–15 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.
(25–)50–120 × 1–4 mm;
blade linear, margins entire, rarely toothed, veins conspicuous or not, surfaces villous.
50–250(–500) mm, surpassing leaves or not, glabrous or hirsute.
(10–)40–240(–260) mm, hairy, hairs antrorse, long and short and patent, long.
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 brownish, 40–120 mm, densely flowered, flowers in whorls or pairs;
bracts triangular or narrowly ovate, 2–10 mm, length 1–2 times sepals, apex acute or acuminate.
sepals 1.5–2 mm;
corolla radially symmetric, lobes reflexed, 0.5–1 mm, base obtuse;
stamens 4.
sepals 2.2–4.8 mm;
corolla bilaterally symmetric, lobes reflexed, 1.6–2.1 mm, base cordate;
stamens 4, connective usually elongated, apex acute.
(2–)4–5 mm, dehiscing at middle.
5–35, 0.5–1 mm.
2, 2.2–2.6 mm.
= 12.
= 20.
Plantago major
Plantago patagonica
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.)
The circumscription of Plantago patagonica is treated here in accordance with K. Rahn (1978). The phenotypic plasticity of it does not allow varieties or subspecies to be recognized. Plants recognized in other floras as P. purshii (for example, Flora of Indiana and Flora of New Mexico) are referable to either P. aristata or P. patagonica (Rahn).
(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
- Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA
- Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, Go Botany, IL Wildflowers, KS Wildflowers, LA Plants, MI Flora, MN Wildflowers, MO Plants, PNW Herbaria,
SW CO Wildflowers, Turner Photog. - WildflowerSearch
- iNaturalist (observations)
- USDA Plants Database
- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
