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coastal plantain, Mexican plantain, tall coastal plantain

blond plantain, desert Indian-wheat, desert plantain

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

0–10 mm.

0–30 mm, often 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.

10–230 × 0.5–12 mm;

blade linear or narrowly elliptic, margins toothed, veins conspicuous or not, surfaces villous or lanate to sericeous.

Scapes

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

10–400 mm, hairy, hairs woolly, long.

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.

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.

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 1.9–3.5 mm;

corolla radially symmetric, lobes reflexed, 1.3–2.8 mm, base cuneate;

stamens 4.

Seeds

3, 1.8–2.5 mm.

2, 2–2.6 mm.

2n

= 48.

= 8.

Plantago subnuda

Plantago ovata

Phenology Flowering late spring–fall. Flowering spring.
Habitat Moist ground. Sandy deserts and steppes.
Elevation 0–300 m. (0–1000 ft.) 0–1800 m. (0–5900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; NV; TX; UT; Mexico (Baja California, Sonora); Eurasia; Africa
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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.)

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.)

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 293. FNA vol. 17, p. 290.
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. indica, P. lanceolata, P. macrocarpa, P. major, P. maritima, P. media, P. patagonica, P. pusilla, P. rhodosperma, P. rugelii, P. sempervirens, P. sparsiflora, P. subnuda, P. tweedyi, P. virginica, P. wrightiana
Synonyms P. insularis, P. insularis var. fastigiata
Name authority Pilger: Notizbl. Königl. Bot. Gart. Berlin 5: 260. (1912) Forsskål: Fl. Aegypt.-Arab., 31. (1775)
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