Plantago ovata
Plantago eriopoda
blond plantain, desert Indian-wheat, desert plantain
alkali plantain, hairy fruit plantain, plantain à base velue, redwool plantain, saline plantain
0–30 mm, often branched.
0–20 mm.
10–230 × 0.5–12 mm;
blade linear or narrowly elliptic, margins toothed, veins conspicuous or not, surfaces villous or lanate to sericeous.
(30–)50–250 × (5–)15–70 mm;
blade lanceolate to elliptic, margins entire, veins conspicuous, laterals branching from base, surfaces glabrous or hairy.
10–400 mm, hairy, hairs woolly, long.
(40–)50–300 mm, glabrous or hairy.
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.
brownish or greenish, (25–)80–500 mm, loosely flowered, rachis visible between flowers;
bracts broadly ovate, 2–2.5 mm, length 0.8–1.2 times sepals.
sepals 1.9–3.5 mm;
corolla radially symmetric, lobes reflexed, 1.3–2.8 mm, base cuneate;
stamens 4.
sepals 2–2.5 mm;
corolla radially symmetric, lobes reflexed, 1–1.5 mm, base obtuse;
stamens 4.
2, 2–2.6 mm.
2–4, 2–2.5 mm.
= 8.
= 24.
Plantago ovata
Plantago eriopoda
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.)
BC
CA
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
OR
Flora NW
MN Wildflowers
SW CO Wildflowers
