Plantago sparsiflora
Plantago ovata
pineland plantain
blond plantain, desert Indian-wheat, desert plantain
0–10 mm.
0–30 mm, often branched.
50–300 × 10–30 mm;
blade lanceolate, margins entire, sometimes toothed, veins conspicuous, laterals branching from base, surfaces sparsely hairy.
10–230 × 0.5–12 mm;
blade linear or narrowly elliptic, margins toothed, veins conspicuous or not, surfaces villous or lanate to sericeous.
75–150 mm, sparsely hairy.
10–400 mm, hairy, hairs woolly, long.
brownish or greenish, 100–450 mm, loosely flowered, rachis visible between flowers;
bracts ovate, 1 mm, length 0.5–0.6 times sepals.
grayish or brownish, 20–400 mm, densely flowered, flowers in spirals;
bracts ovate or elliptic, 1.7–4 mm, length 0.8–1.2 times sepals, apex not reached by green nerve.
sepals 2 mm;
corolla radially symmetric, lobes spreading, 1 mm, base obtuse;
stamens 4.
sepals 1.9–3.5 mm;
corolla radially symmetric, lobes reflexed, 1.3–2.8 mm, base cuneate;
stamens 4.
2, 2 mm.
2, 2–2.6 mm.
= 24.
= 8.
Plantago sparsiflora
Plantago ovata
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.)
From molecular evidence, S. C. Meyers and A. Liston (2008) suggested that Plantago ovata was introduced to North America during the Pleistocene. They recognized four varieties; North American specimens can be treated as two varieties based on bract and corolla color: the inland var. fastigiata (E. Morris) S. C. Meyers & Liston (midribs of mature flower bracts green, corolla lobes without reddish brown midribs) and the coastal var. insularis (Eastwood) S. C. Meyers & Liston (midribs of mature flower bracts brown, corolla lobe midribs prominent, reddish brown). Unfortunately, these features are not easily seen on many herbarium specimens, and these taxa are not recognized here.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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