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blackseed plantain, plantain de Rugel, Rugel's plantain

redseed indianwheat, redseed plantain, Virginia plantain

Habit Perennials, sometimes annuals; caudex absent; roots fibrous, thick. Annuals; roots taproots, slender.
Stems

0–20 mm.

0–10 mm.

Leaves

20–150 × 10–120 mm;

petiole to 200 mm;

blade ovate to cordate-ovate, margins entire or toothed, veins conspicuous, surfaces glabrous or hirsute.

60–290 × 7–30 mm;

blade obovate or elliptic, margins toothed, veins conspicuous, surfaces pilose.

Scapes

50–250 mm, glabrous or hirsute.

15–150 mm, hairy, hairs patent, long.

Spikes

brownish or greenish, 50–300 mm, densely or loosely flowered;

bracts narrowly lanceolate, 2 mm, length 1–1.2 times sepals.

greenish, yellowish, or brownish, 35–300 mm, densely or loosely flowered;

bracts narrowly triangular or triangular, 2.5–3.2 mm, length 0.7–1.1 times sepals.

Flowers

sepals 1.5–2 mm;

corolla radially symmetric, lobes reflexed, 0.5–1 mm, base obtuse;

stamens 4.

sepals asymmetric, 2.7–3.6 mm, apex acuminate;

corolla radially symmetric, lobes erect, forming a beak, 2–3.1 mm, base obtuse;

stamens 4.

Fruits

4–6(–8) mm, dehiscing proximal to middle.

Seeds

4 or 5(–8), 1.5–2 mm.

2, dark red, 2.3–2.8 mm, adaxial face concave.

2n

= 24.

= 24.

Plantago rugelii

Plantago rhodosperma

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering spring.
Habitat Open woods, meadows, pastures, waste places. Rocky or sandy soils, grasslands, disturbed areas.
Elevation 0–2000 m. (0–6600 ft.) 0–2600 m. (0–8500 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; NB; NS; ON; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; CA; GA; IL; KS; KY; LA; MO; MS; NE; NM; OK; TN; TX; n Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Plants of Plantago major and P. rugelii are morphologically indistinguishable when young; they may be differentiated with certainty only at fruiting stage. DNA sequence data (A. Shipunov et al. 2014) confirm that the two species are distinct: P. rugelii is different from P. major by 11 substitutions in the ITS2 sequence.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 292. 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. pusilla, P. rhodosperma, 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. rugelii, P. sempervirens, P. sparsiflora, P. subnuda, P. tweedyi, P. virginica, P. wrightiana
Name authority Decaisne: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 13(1): 700. (1852) Decaisne: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 13(1): 722. (1852)
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