Plantago pusilla
Plantago ovata
dwarf plantain, little plantain, woolly indianwheat, woolly plantain
blond plantain, desert Indian-wheat, desert plantain
0–5 mm.
0–30 mm, often branched.
20–70 × 1–2 mm;
blade linear, margins entire, sometimes toothed, veins conspicuous or not, surfaces hairy or glabrous.
10–230 × 0.5–12 mm;
blade linear or narrowly elliptic, margins toothed, veins conspicuous or not, surfaces villous or lanate to sericeous.
15–60 mm, hairy, sometimes glabrous.
10–400 mm, hairy, hairs woolly, long.
greenish or brownish, 20–100 mm, loosely or densely flowered;
bracts triangular-ovate, 1.5–2 mm, length 0.9–1.1 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 1.5–2 mm;
corolla radially symmetric, lobes erect, forming a beak, 0.5 mm, base obtuse;
stamens 2.
sepals 1.9–3.5 mm;
corolla radially symmetric, lobes reflexed, 1.3–2.8 mm, base cuneate;
stamens 4.
4, 0.8–1.3 mm.
2, 2–2.6 mm.
= 12.
= 8.
Plantago pusilla
Plantago ovata
Plantago pusilla is considered to be introduced in Oregon and Washington, and possibly in California.
(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.)
- Local floras:
CA, 
OR, 
WA - Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos,
Flora NW, 
Go Botany, 
IL Wildflowers, 
KS Wildflowers, 
LA Plants, 
MD Biodiversity, 
MO Plants, 
PNW Herbaria 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
BC
