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Tweedy's plantain

blackseed plantain, plantain de Rugel, Rugel's plantain

Habit Perennials; caudex well developed, conspicuous, glabrous; roots taproots, thick. Perennials, sometimes annuals; caudex absent; roots fibrous, thick.
Stems

0–20 mm.

0–20 mm.

Leaves

40–200 × 10–30 mm;

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

20–150 × 10–120 mm;

petiole to 200 mm;

blade ovate to cordate-ovate, margins entire or toothed, veins conspicuous, surfaces glabrous or hirsute.

Scapes

25–200 mm, slightly surpassing leaves, glabrous.

50–250 mm, glabrous or hirsute.

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.

brownish or greenish, 50–300 mm, densely or loosely flowered;

bracts narrowly lanceolate, 2 mm, length 1–1.2 times sepals.

Flowers

sepals 2–2.5 mm;

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

stamens 4.

sepals 1.5–2 mm;

corolla radially symmetric, lobes reflexed, 0.5–1 mm, base obtuse;

stamens 4.

Fruits

4–6(–8) mm, dehiscing proximal to middle.

Seeds

3 or 4, 2–2.3 mm.

4 or 5(–8), 1.5–2 mm.

2n

= 24.

= 24.

Plantago tweedyi

Plantago rugelii

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering summer.
Habitat Grasslands, sagebrush steppes, montane and subalpine meadows. Open woods, meadows, pastures, waste places.
Elevation 1600–4000 m. (5200–13100 ft.) 0–2000 m. (0–6600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CO; ID; MT; NM; UT; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AR; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; NB; NS; ON; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Plants of Plantago major and P. rugelii are morphologically indistinguishable when young; they may be differentiated with certainty only at fruiting stage. DNA sequence data (A. Shipunov et al. 2014) confirm that the two species are distinct: P. rugelii is different from P. major by 11 substitutions in the ITS2 sequence.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 293. FNA vol. 17, p. 292.
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. 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. sempervirens, P. sparsiflora, P. subnuda, P. tweedyi, P. virginica, P. wrightiana
Name authority A. Gray: in A. Gray et al., Syn. Fl. N. Amer. ed. 2, 2(1): 390. (1886) Decaisne: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 13(1): 700. (1852)
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