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Tweedy's plantain

Mexican plantain

Habit Perennials; caudex well developed, conspicuous, glabrous; roots taproots, thick. Perennials; caudex glabrous; roots fibrous, stout.
Stems

0–20 mm.

0–10 mm.

Leaves

40–200 × 10–30 mm;

blade lanceolate-spatulate to narrowly ovate, margins entire, sometimes toothed, veins conspicuous, surfaces usually glabrous.

40–350 × 6–77 mm;

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

Scapes

25–200 mm, slightly surpassing leaves, glabrous.

30–560 mm, hairy, hairs antrorse, short.

Spikes

brownish or greenish, 45–250 mm, densely flowered, rachis not clearly visible between flowers;

bracts broadly ovate, 2 mm, length 0.8–1 times sepals.

greenish or brownish, 100–1000 mm, densely flowered;

bracts narrowly triangular, 1.6–4.2 mm, length 0.8–1.5 times sepals.

Flowers

sepals 2–2.5 mm;

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

stamens 4.

sepals 2–2.5 mm;

corolla radially symmetric, lobes erect, forming a beak, 2–2.8 mm, base obtuse;

stamens 4.

Seeds

3 or 4, 2–2.3 mm.

3, 1.2–2.2 mm.

2n

= 24.

= 24.

Plantago tweedyi

Plantago australis

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering summer.
Habitat Grasslands, sagebrush steppes, montane and subalpine meadows. Open places.
Elevation 1600–4000 m. (5200–13100 ft.) 0–1000 m. (0–3300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; ID; MT; NM; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; Mexico; Central America; South America
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[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Plantago australis occurs in Cochise, Coconino, and Pima counties. Plantago australis is most diverse in South America, where as many as 16 subspecies (K. Rahn 1974) may be recognized. Plants from California identified as P. hirtella are most likely P. subnuda. However, since the most important distinguishing character of P. australis is the absence of the developed taproot (which is fragile and often broken in herbarium specimens), all these samples require careful examination. Further research is needed also to clarify the circumscriptions of P. australis and P. subnuda.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 293. FNA vol. 17, p. 284.
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. subnuda, P. virginica, P. wrightiana
P. afra, P. argyrea, P. aristata, 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. subnuda, P. tweedyi, P. virginica, P. wrightiana
Synonyms P. australis subsp. hirtella, P. hirtella, P. hirtella var. galeottiana, P. hirtella var. mollior
Name authority A. Gray: in A. Gray et al., Syn. Fl. N. Amer. ed. 2, 2(1): 390. (1886) Lamarck: in J. Lamarck and J. L. M. Poiret, Tabl. Encycl. 1: 339. (1792)
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