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dwarf plantain, little plantain, woolly indianwheat, woolly plantain

coastal plantain, Mexican plantain, tall coastal plantain

Habit Annuals; roots taproots, slender. Perennials; caudex well developed, conspicuous, glabrous or hairy; roots taproots, fragile.
Stems

0–5 mm.

0–10 mm.

Leaves

20–70 × 1–2 mm;

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

60–360 × 15–65 mm;

blade elliptic to narrowly elliptic, margins toothed, veins conspicuous, surfaces pilose, rarely glabrate, adaxial surface hairs not floccose, less than 2 mm long, more than 0.03 mm wide.

Scapes

15–60 mm, hairy, sometimes glabrous.

55–360 mm, hairy, hairs antrorse, long.

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, 110–720 mm, densely or loosely flowered;

bracts ovate, rarely triangular, 2.5–4 mm, length 0.8–1.3 times sepals.

Flowers

sepals 1.5–2 mm;

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

stamens 2.

sepals 2.6–3.1 mm;

corolla radially symmetric, lobes erect, forming a beak, 2.4–2.7 mm, base obtuse;

stamens 4.

Seeds

4, 0.8–1.3 mm.

3, 1.8–2.5 mm.

2n

= 12.

= 48.

Plantago pusilla

Plantago subnuda

Phenology Flowering spring–early summer. Flowering late spring–fall.
Habitat Dry to moist, sandy, alluvial soils. Moist ground.
Elevation 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.) 0–300 m. (0–1000 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; OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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 subnuda occurs primarily in counties along the Pacific coast from southwestern Washington to southern California.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 291. 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. 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. sempervirens, P. sparsiflora, P. tweedyi, P. virginica, P. wrightiana
Synonyms P. hybrida, P. pusilla var. major
Name authority Nuttall: Gen. N. Amer. Pl. 1: 100. (1818) Pilger: Notizbl. Königl. Bot. Gart. Berlin 5: 260. (1912)
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