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dwarf plantain, little plantain, woolly indianwheat, woolly plantain

evergreen plantain

Habit Annuals; roots taproots, slender. Perennials, sometimes woody; roots taproots, slender.
Stems

0–5 mm.

100–400 mm, freely branched.

Leaves

20–70 × 1–2 mm;

blade linear, margins entire, sometimes toothed, veins conspicuous or not, surfaces hairy or glabrous.

cauline, opposite, 30–60 × 0.75–1 mm;

blade linear to linear-lanceolate, margins entire, veins inconspicuous, surfaces hairy.

Scapes

15–60 mm, hairy, sometimes glabrous.

30–80 mm, hairy.

Spikes

greenish or brownish, 20–100 mm, loosely or densely flowered;

bracts triangular-ovate, 1.5–2 mm, length 0.9–1.1 times sepals.

greenish or brownish, 40–85 mm, densely flowered;

bracts broadly ovate, 5–6 mm, lengths equal to sepals.

Flowers

sepals 1.5–2 mm;

corolla radially symmetric, lobes erect, forming a beak, 0.5 mm, base obtuse;

stamens 2.

sepals 5–6 mm;

corolla radially symmetric, lobes reflexed, 3–3.5 mm, base obtuse;

stamens 4.

Seeds

4, 0.8–1.3 mm.

1 or 2, 2 mm.

2n

= 12.

= 12.

Plantago pusilla

Plantago sempervirens

Phenology Flowering spring–early summer. Flowering summer–fall.
Habitat Dry to moist, sandy, alluvial soils. Disturbed habitats.
Elevation 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.) 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CA; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NJ; NY; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; TN; TX; VA; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
CA; s Europe [Introduced in North America]
Discussion

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.)

Plantago sempervirens is known from San Diego County; one specimen (JEPS) was collected in 2008 in Torrey Pines State Reserve.

Plantago cynops Linnaeus (1762, not 1753), a rejected name, has been misapplied to P. sempervirens.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 291. FNA vol. 17, p. 292.
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. patagonica, 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. sparsiflora, P. subnuda, P. tweedyi, P. virginica, P. wrightiana
Synonyms P. hybrida, P. pusilla var. major
Name authority Nuttall: Gen. N. Amer. Pl. 1: 100. (1818) Crantz: Inst. Rei Herb. 2: 331. (1766)
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