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hoary plantain, plantain moyen

dwarf plantain, pale-seed plantain, paleseed indianwheat, Virginia plantain

Habit Perennials; caudex glabrous or hairy; roots taproots, thick. Annuals; roots taproots, slender.
Stems

0–20 mm.

0–20 mm.

Leaves

prostrate, sometimes ascending, 40–200 × 30–70 mm;

blade elliptic to ovate, margins entire or toothed, veins conspicuous, surfaces hairy, hairs 0.5 mm.

20–120 × 4–25 mm;

blade obovate or narrowly obovate, margins toothed, veins conspicuous, surfaces pilose or glabrate.

Scapes

80–300 mm, not groove-angled, hirsute.

30–240 mm, hairy, hairs patent, long.

Spikes

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.

greenish or yellowish, 38–260 mm, densely or loosely flowered;

bracts narrowly ovate or ovate, 1.6–2.5 mm, length 0.7–1 times sepals.

Flowers

sepals 2 mm, adaxial 2 nearly distinct;

corolla radially symmetric, lobes reflexed, 1.5 mm, base obtuse;

stamens 4.

sepals 1.5–2.4 mm, apex obtuse;

corolla radially symmetric, lobes erect, forming a beak, 1.1–2.9 mm, base obtuse;

stamens 4.

Seeds

2–4, 2 mm.

2, brown or yellowish brown, 1.6–2 mm, adaxial face deeply concave.

2n

= 12, 24.

= 24.

Plantago media

Plantago virginica

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering spring–early summer.
Habitat Disturbed areas, neutral and basic soils. Sandy soils, disturbed areas.
Elevation 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.) 0–2300 m. (0–7500 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CT; IL; MA; ME; MI; NH; NJ; NY; PA; RI; WI; MB; NB; ON; QC; Eurasia [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; CA; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NE; NJ; NM; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; WI; WV; ON; n Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 290. 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. indica, P. lanceolata, P. macrocarpa, P. major, P. maritima, 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. subnuda, P. tweedyi, P. wrightiana
Synonyms P. virginica var. viridescens
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 113. (1753) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 113. (1753)
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