The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

blond plantain, desert Indian-wheat, desert plantain

Wright's plantain

Habit Annuals; roots taproots, slender. Annuals; roots taproots, slender.
Stems

0–30 mm, often branched.

10–40 mm.

Leaves

10–230 × 0.5–12 mm;

blade linear or narrowly elliptic, margins toothed, veins conspicuous or not, surfaces villous or lanate to sericeous.

60–160 × 3–5 mm;

blade linear, margins entire, veins conspicuous or not, abaxial surface villous, adaxial glabrous, rarely sparsely villous.

Scapes

10–400 mm, hairy, hairs woolly, long.

800–1600 mm, hairy, hairs antrorse, long and short.

Spikes

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.

greenish or brownish, (20–)150–250 mm, densely flowered, flowers in whorls or pairs;

bracts ovate or triangular, 1–3.5 mm, length 0.4–0.8 times sepals.

Flowers

sepals 1.9–3.5 mm;

corolla radially symmetric, lobes reflexed, 1.3–2.8 mm, base cuneate;

stamens 4.

sepals 3–4 mm;

corolla bilaterally symmetric, lobes reflexed, adaxials 2.4–3 mm, laterals asymmetric, base cordate;

stamens 4, connective elongated, apex acute.

Seeds

2, 2–2.6 mm.

2, 2.8–3.2 mm.

2n

= 8.

= 20.

Plantago ovata

Plantago wrightiana

Phenology Flowering spring. Flowering summer.
Habitat Sandy deserts and steppes. Sandy and gravelly soils, roadsides.
Elevation 0–1800 m. (0–5900 ft.) 0–1000(–1300) m. (0–3300(–4300) ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; NV; TX; UT; Mexico (Baja California, Sonora); Eurasia; Africa
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; FL; GA; KS; KY; LA; MD; MS; NC; NM; OK; SC; TN; TX; VA; WV; Mexico (Chihuahua, Durango)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

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. media, 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. virginica
Synonyms P. insularis, P. insularis var. fastigiata
Name authority Forsskål: Fl. Aegypt.-Arab., 31. (1775) Decaisne: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 13(1): 712. (1852)
Web links