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Indian wheat, Patagonia plantain, Pursh's plantain, woolly plantain

buck's-horn plantain, buck-horn plantain, cut-leaf plantain

Habit Annuals; roots taproots, slender. Annuals, sometimes biennials; roots taproots, stout.
Stems

0–15 mm.

0–10 mm.

Leaves

(25–)50–120 × 1–4 mm;

blade linear, margins entire, rarely toothed, veins conspicuous or not, surfaces villous.

20–80(–115) × 5–15 mm;

blade lanceolate, margins usually 1- or 2-pinnatifid, veins conspicuous or not, surfaces villous, hairs septate, sometimes glabrate.

Scapes

(10–)40–240(–260) mm, hairy, hairs antrorse, long and short and patent, long.

decumbent, sometimes erect, 15–150(–210) mm, villous.

Spikes

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.

decumbent, sometimes erect, greenish, purplish, or brownish, (15–)30–300 mm, densely flowered;

bracts ovate to lanceolate, 1.5–2 mm, length 0.5–0.6 times sepals.

Flowers

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.

sepals 2–3 mm;

corolla radially symmetric, tube hairy, lobes reflexed, 1 mm, base obtuse;

stamens 4.

Seeds

2, 2.2–2.6 mm.

(2–)4 (plus 1 smaller, distal one of different shape), 1–1.5 mm.

2n

= 20.

= 10, 20, 30 (all Eurasia).

Plantago patagonica

Plantago coronopus

Phenology Flowering early summer. Flowering summer.
Habitat Dry sandy soils, grasslands, openings, disturbed areas. Moist, gravelly or sandy soils.
Elevation 0–3600 m. (0–11800 ft.) 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AR; AZ; CA; CO; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; LA; MA; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; SK; South America; Mexico (Baja California)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; MA; NJ; NY; OR; PA; TX; WA; BC; MB; Greenland; Eurasia; Africa [Introduced in North America; introduced also in s South America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 290. FNA vol. 17, p. 285.
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. ovata, 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. 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, P. wrightiana
Synonyms P. patagonica var. breviscapa, P. patagonica var. gnaphalioides, P. patagonica var. spinulosa, P. purshii var. oblonga, P. spinulosa P. coronopus subsp. commutata
Name authority Jacquin: Icon. Pl. Rar. 2: 9, plate 306. (1795) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 115. (1753)
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