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Wright's plantain

plantain des sables, sand plantain

Habit Annuals; roots taproots, slender. Annuals; roots taproots, slender.
Stems

10–40 mm.

100–350 mm, freely branched.

Leaves

60–160 × 3–5 mm;

blade linear, margins entire, veins conspicuous or not, abaxial surface villous, adaxial glabrous, rarely sparsely villous.

cauline, opposite, 60–80 × 1–3 mm;

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

Scapes

800–1600 mm, hairy, hairs antrorse, long and short.

100–650 mm, hairy.

Spikes

greenish or brownish, (20–)150–250 mm, densely flowered, flowers in whorls or pairs;

bracts ovate or triangular, 1–3.5 mm, length 0.4–0.8 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 3–4 mm;

corolla bilaterally symmetric, lobes reflexed, adaxials 2.4–3 mm, laterals asymmetric, base cordate;

stamens 4, connective elongated, apex acute.

sepals 2–3 mm;

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

stamens 4.

Seeds

2, 2.8–3.2 mm.

2, 2–2.5 mm.

2n

= 20.

= 12.

Plantago wrightiana

Plantago indica

Phenology Flowering summer. Flowering late summer–fall.
Habitat Sandy and gravelly soils, roadsides. Roadsides, railroads, sandy shorelines.
Elevation 0–1000(–1300) m. (0–3300(–4300) ft.) 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; AZ; FL; GA; KS; KY; LA; MD; MS; NC; NM; OK; SC; TN; TX; VA; WV; Mexico (Chihuahua, Durango)
[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

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. subnuda, P. tweedyi, P. virginica
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 Decaisne: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 13(1): 712. (1852) Linnaeus: Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 2: 896. 1759, legitimacy of — name in question
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