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pineland plantain

heart-leaf plantain

Habit Perennials; caudex well developed, conspicuous, glabrous; roots taproots, thick. Perennials; caudex well developed, conspicuous, glabrous; roots fibrous, thick.
Stems

0–10 mm.

0–20 mm.

Leaves

50–300 × 10–30 mm;

blade lanceolate, margins entire, sometimes toothed, veins conspicuous, laterals branching from base, surfaces sparsely hairy.

100–300 × 80–200 mm;

petiole to 300 mm;

blade broadly oval to cordate-ovate, margins entire, veins conspicuous, laterals branching from midvein distal to base, surfaces glabrous.

Scapes

75–150 mm, sparsely hairy.

200–300 mm, glabrous.

Spikes

brownish or greenish, 100–450 mm, loosely flowered, rachis visible between flowers;

bracts ovate, 1 mm, length 0.5–0.6 times sepals.

brownish or greenish, 100–500 mm, loosely flowered, rachis visible between flowers;

bracts round-ovate, 2 mm, length 0.8–1 times sepals.

Flowers

sepals 2 mm;

corolla radially symmetric, lobes spreading, 1 mm, base obtuse;

stamens 4.

sepals 2–2.5 mm;

corolla radially symmetric, lobes spreading, 2–2.5 mm, base obtuse;

stamens 4.

Seeds

2, 2 mm.

2–4, 2.5–3.5 mm.

2n

= 24.

= 24.

Plantago sparsiflora

Plantago cordata

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering late spring–early summer.
Habitat Moist, sandy soils, open, undisturbed pine woods. Rocky or gravelly beds of shallow, slow-moving streams, sloughs, swamps.
Elevation 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.) 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
FL; GA; NC; SC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; DC; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KY; MD; MI; MO; MS; NC; NY; OH; TN; VA; WI; ON
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Populations of Plantago sparsiflora occur mainly along the Atlantic coast from Columbia County, North Carolina, south to Volusia County, Florida.

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

Plantago cordata is listed as federally endangered in Canada and is in the Center for Plant Conservation’s National Collection of Endangered Plants.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 292. 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. patagonica, P. pusilla, P. rhodosperma, P. rugelii, P. sempervirens, P. subnuda, P. tweedyi, P. virginica, P. wrightiana
P. afra, P. argyrea, P. aristata, P. australis, P. canescens, 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. subnuda, P. tweedyi, P. virginica, P. wrightiana
Name authority Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 94. (1803) Lamarck: in J. Lamarck and J. L. M. Poiret, Tabl. Encycl. 1: 338. (1792)
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