Plantago tweedyi
Plantago ovata
Tweedy's plantain
blond plantain, desert Indian-wheat, desert plantain
0–20 mm.
0–30 mm, often branched.
40–200 × 10–30 mm;
blade lanceolate-spatulate to narrowly ovate, margins entire, sometimes toothed, veins conspicuous, surfaces usually glabrous.
10–230 × 0.5–12 mm;
blade linear or narrowly elliptic, margins toothed, veins conspicuous or not, surfaces villous or lanate to sericeous.
25–200 mm, slightly surpassing leaves, glabrous.
10–400 mm, hairy, hairs woolly, long.
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.
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 2–2.5 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.
3 or 4, 2–2.3 mm.
2, 2–2.6 mm.
= 24.
= 8.
Plantago tweedyi
Plantago ovata
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.)
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
BC
CA
