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pineland plantain

California plantain, Hooker's plantain, tallow weed

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

0–10 mm.

0–10 mm.

Leaves

50–300 × 10–30 mm;

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

60–120 × 4–10 mm;

blade linear, margins toothed (teeth to 4 mm), rarely entire, veins conspicuous or not, surfaces villous or sericeous.

Scapes

75–150 mm, sparsely hairy.

280–580 mm, hairy, hairs antrorse, long and short.

Spikes

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

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

greenish or brownish, 50–180 mm, densely flowered, flowers in whorls or pairs;

bracts ovate or triangular, 1.5–6 mm, length 0.6–1.4 times sepals, apex acute or acuminate.

Flowers

sepals 2 mm;

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

stamens 4.

sepals 2.5–4 mm;

corolla bilaterally symmetric, abaxial and lateral lobes reflexed, adaxial erect, 2.2–2.5 mm, base slightly cordate;

stamens 4, connective significantly elongated, apex acute.

Seeds

2, 2 mm.

2, 2.4–3.4 mm.

2n

= 24.

= 20.

Plantago sparsiflora

Plantago hookeriana

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering spring.
Habitat Moist, sandy soils, open, undisturbed pine woods. Sandy soils, disturbed areas.
Elevation 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.) 0–1300 m. (0–4300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
FL; GA; NC; SC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
LA; MS; TX; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas)
[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.)

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 292. FNA vol. 17, p. 287.
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. cordata, P. coronopus, P. elongata, P. erecta, P. eriopoda, P. firma, P. floccosa, P. helleri, P. heterophylla, 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
Synonyms P. hookeriana var. nuda
Name authority Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 94. (1803) Fischer & C. A. Meyer: Index Seminum (St. Petersburg) 1838: 39. (1839)
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