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pineland plantain

plantain des sables, sand plantain

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

0–10 mm.

100–350 mm, freely branched.

Leaves

50–300 × 10–30 mm;

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

cauline, opposite, 60–80 × 1–3 mm;

blade linear to linear-lanceolate, margins entire or toothed, veins conspicuous or not, surfaces hairy.

Scapes

75–150 mm, sparsely hairy.

100–650 mm, hairy.

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–)150–250 mm, densely flowered, eglandular;

bracts proximal strongly differing from distal, ovate, 2–5(–7) mm, length 1–1.5 times sepals, proximal bracts: apex acute.

Flowers

sepals 2 mm;

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

stamens 4.

sepals 2–3 mm;

corolla radially symmetric, lobes reflexed, 2–4 mm, base obtuse;

stamens 4.

Seeds

2, 2 mm.

2, 2–2.5 mm.

2n

= 24.

= 12.

Plantago sparsiflora

Plantago indica

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering late summer–fall.
Habitat Moist, sandy soils, open, undisturbed pine woods. Roadsides, railroads, sandy shorelines.
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
CA; CT; DE; IA; IL; IN; MA; ME; MI; MN; MO; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; VA; VT; WA; WI; BC; MB; ON; QC; Eurasia [Introduced in North America]
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.)

While considering the proposal made by W. L. Applequist (2006) to reject Plantago psyllium, the Nomenclature Committee for Vascular Plants also decided that P. indica is a legitimate name (R. K. Brummitt 2009). A. B. Doweld and A. Shipunov (2017) published a proposal to reject P. indica in favor of P. arenaria. That proposal awaits a decision by that committee.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 292. FNA vol. 17, p. 288.
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. hookeriana, 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. arenaria, P. psyllium
Name authority Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 1: 94. (1803) Linnaeus: Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 2: 896. 1759, legitimacy of — name in question
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