Plantago maritima
Plantago ovata
Alaska plantain, common plantain, goose tongue, maritime plantain, plantain maritime, salt marsh plantain, sea plantain, seaside plantain
blond plantain, desert Indian-wheat, desert plantain
0–40 mm, usually branched.
0–30 mm, often branched.
10–220 × (1–)10–15 mm;
blade linear to lanceolate, margins entire or toothed, veins not conspicuous, surfaces glabrous, sometimes hairy.
10–230 × 0.5–12 mm;
blade linear or narrowly elliptic, margins toothed, veins conspicuous or not, surfaces villous or lanate to sericeous.
40–120 mm, glabrous or hirsute.
10–400 mm, hairy, hairs woolly, long.
greenish or brownish, (15–)50–200(–290) mm, densely or loosely flowered;
bracts broadly ovate, 1.5–4(–6) mm, length 0.8–1.2 times sepals.
grayish or brownish, 20–400 mm, densely flowered, flowers in spirals;
bracts ovate or elliptic, 1.7–4 mm, length 0.8–1.2 times sepals, apex not reached by green nerve.
sepals 1.5–3.5 mm;
corolla radially symmetric, tube hairy, lobes reflexed, 1–1.5 mm, base obtuse;
stamens 4.
sepals 1.9–3.5 mm;
corolla radially symmetric, lobes reflexed, 1.3–2.8 mm, base cuneate;
stamens 4.
1–3, 1.5–3 mm.
2, 2–2.6 mm.
= 24.
= 8.
Plantago maritima
Plantago ovata
Plantago maritima has been reported from Utah; no specimen supporting that report has been found.
Since the 1930s, when Plantago maritima was shown to have high levels of phenotypic plasticity (J. W. Gregor and J. M. S. Lang 1950), it usually has been accepted in a broad sense. That approach is followed here, with all dwarf and loose-flowered forms (such as P. borealis and P. decipiens, respectively) included under this name.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
From molecular evidence, S. C. Meyers and A. Liston (2008) suggested that Plantago ovata was introduced to North America during the Pleistocene. They recognized four varieties; North American specimens can be treated as two varieties based on bract and corolla color: the inland var. fastigiata (E. Morris) S. C. Meyers & Liston (midribs of mature flower bracts green, corolla lobes without reddish brown midribs) and the coastal var. insularis (Eastwood) S. C. Meyers & Liston (midribs of mature flower bracts brown, corolla lobe midribs prominent, reddish brown). Unfortunately, these features are not easily seen on many herbarium specimens, and these taxa are not recognized here.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
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