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coastal plantain, Mexican plantain, tall coastal plantain

plantain des sables, sand plantain

Habit Perennials; caudex well developed, conspicuous, glabrous or hairy; roots taproots, fragile. Annuals; roots taproots, slender.
Stems

0–10 mm.

100–350 mm, freely branched.

Leaves

60–360 × 15–65 mm;

blade elliptic to narrowly elliptic, margins toothed, veins conspicuous, surfaces pilose, rarely glabrate, adaxial surface hairs not floccose, less than 2 mm long, more than 0.03 mm wide.

cauline, opposite, 60–80 × 1–3 mm;

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

Scapes

55–360 mm, hairy, hairs antrorse, long.

100–650 mm, hairy.

Spikes

greenish or brownish, 110–720 mm, densely or loosely flowered;

bracts ovate, rarely triangular, 2.5–4 mm, length 0.8–1.3 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 2.6–3.1 mm;

corolla radially symmetric, lobes erect, forming a beak, 2.4–2.7 mm, base obtuse;

stamens 4.

sepals 2–3 mm;

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

stamens 4.

Seeds

3, 1.8–2.5 mm.

2, 2–2.5 mm.

2n

= 48.

= 12.

Plantago subnuda

Plantago indica

Phenology Flowering late spring–fall. Flowering late summer–fall.
Habitat Moist ground. Roadsides, railroads, sandy shorelines.
Elevation 0–300 m. (0–1000 ft.) 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA
[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

Plantago subnuda occurs primarily in counties along the Pacific coast from southwestern Washington to southern California.

(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. 293. 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. sparsiflora, 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 Pilger: Notizbl. Königl. Bot. Gart. Berlin 5: 260. (1912) Linnaeus: Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 2: 896. 1759, legitimacy of — name in question
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