Plantago L. - Flora of New Zealand Series
Volume IV (1988) - Flora of New Zealand Naturalised Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms, Dicotyledons
Copy a link to this page Cite this record

Plantago L.

PLANTAGO L.

Annual or perennial herbs. Stems usually simple and very short, forming a caudex (rootstock) at or below ground level, sometimes elongated and branched, often with long hairs, occasionally woody and forming small subshrubs. Primary root persistent, or short-lived with subsequent adventitious root system. Lvs usually in basal rosettes, sometimes cauline, opposite or alternate. Fls in heads or cylindric spikes, rarely solitary, 4-merous, usually ⚥ and protogynous, sometimes unisexual; sepals similar to bracts, equal or not, free or connate at base. Corolla scarious or membranous; tube narrow, persisting at fr. apex; lobes usually patent or deflexed. Stamens epipetalous, usually exserted but included in cleistogamous fls. Ovary 2-locular, but sometimes appearing 4-locular by placental outgrowths; placentation axile. Ovules 1-6-(8) per loculus; style filiform. Capsule circumscissile, enclosed in persistent calyx. Seeds 1-many, ± mucilaginous when wet.

SYNOPSIS

The synopsis follows Pilger, R., in Engler, A., Das Pflanzenreich 269, Heft 102: 1-466 (1937).

  • A. Subgen. PLANTAGO. 
    • Lvs alternate, usually in dense, radical rosettes. Ovules 2-many.
    • 1. Sect. ARNOGLOSSUM. 
      • Plants generally large; taproot persistent. Lvs in rosettes. Spikes usually short, dense, many-flowered. Peduncle strongly ribbed. Ovules 2:
      • 5. * lanceolata
    • 2. Sect. CORONOPUS. 
      • Plants small to large; taproot persistent. Lvs in rosettes, often pinnate-dentate. Spikes short or long. Ovules 3-5:
      • 3. * coronopus
    • 3. Sect. LEUCOPSYLLIUM. 
      • Plants often small, branched, woody towards base; taproot persistent, often slender. Lvs radical but generally not in rosettes. Spikes usually short. Ovules 2:
      • 1. * aristata
    • 4. Sect. MESEMBRYNIA. 
      • Plants small to large, taprooted or shortly rhizomatous. Lvs in radical rosettes. Spikes various, often narrow. Ovules 5. Seeds 3-5, uppermost smaller, horizontal, and separated by placental outgrowth:
      • 4. * debilis11. raoulii
    • 5. Sect. MICROCALYX. 
      • Plants small; primary root short-lived. Lvs in dense rosettes. Fl. solitary on very short scape. Ovules 8-numerous:
      • 10. obconica13. triandra
    • 6. Sect. OLIGANTHOS. 
    • 7. Sect. PALAEOPSYLLIUM. 
      • Plants large with thick rhizome; primary root not persisting. Lvs in rosettes. Spikes elongate. Ovules 2-7:
      • 8. aucklandica
    • 8. Sect. PLANTAGO. 
      • Plants large or small; primary root not persisting. Lvs in rosettes. Spikes narrow, elongate. Corolla lobes small, ± reflexed. Ovules 6-many:
      • 6. * major
    • 9. Sect. VIRGINICA. 
      • Plants often large; primary root sometimes persisting. Lvs in rosettes. Spikes long. Fls closing at apex after anthesis. Ovules (2)-3:
      • 2. * australis
  • B. Subgen. PSYLLIUM. 
    • Lvs opposite, mainly cauline, not in dense rosettes. Ovules 2.
    • 10. Sect. PSYLLIUM. 

Key

1
Lvs cauline, or if only radical, then 1-(2)-pinnatisect
2
Lvs all radical, and in rosettes, entire to deeply toothed, sometimes with a few shallow lobes
5
2
Lvs radical, in rosettes
3
Lvs cauline
4
3
Scape many-flowered, hairy or densely hairy; sepals c. 2 mm long
Scape with solitary fl., glabrous except for hair tuft just below spike; sepals < 1 mm long
4
Plant with simple hairs; lvs narrow-linear or linear-subulate; sepals ± obovate
Plant with glandular hairs; lvs linear; sepals ovate or ovate-lanceolate
5
Scape strongly ribbed
Scape not or scarcely ribbed
6
6
Corolla lobes remaining erect and closing round fr.
Corolla lobes patent to reflexed
7
7
Bracts 2 cm long, linear-subulate, very conspicuous and much > fls
Bracts nearly always < 5 mm long, lanceolate, ovate to broad-ovate, small and < fls
8
8
Taproot well-developed and adventitious roots from caudex many or 0; lvs with 1-3 rather inconspicuous veins
9
Taproot 0 or very short and adventitious roots from caudex numerous, or if taproot persisting then lvs with 5-7 prominent veins
11
9
Vegetative parts glabrous or nearly so; stem lacking hair tuft; lvs ± fleshy; spike capitate, 1-4-(7)-flowered
Vegetative parts with scattered to moderately dense hairs; stems with hair tuft; lvs thin to subcoriaceous; spike elongated, usually many-flowered, very rarely fls few
10
10
Lvs membranous with veins ± level with upper surface, usually prominently toothed; spike narrow-cylindric
Lvs submembranous or subcoriaceous with veins prominently impressed on upper surface, entire or very rarely with a few teeth; spike broad-cylindric, sometimes broadly ovoid
12. spathulata subsp picta
11
Lamina of lf with 5-7 prominent veins; spike usually 4-25 cm long, narrow-cylindric, many-flowered
12
Lamina of lf with 1-3-(5), sometimes inconspicuous veins; spike usually < 3 cm long, usually cylindric to ovate, sometimes reduced to 1-few fls
13
12
Lamina base truncate to cordate, distinct from petiole; seeds 6-16
Lamina base attenuate with petiole but petiole broad and flat and lf appearing sessile; seeds 1-(2)
13
Sepals and bracts much < 1/2 length of capsule; corolla tube c. 2× length of lobes; spike 1-flowered; scape short and hidden or elongating at fruiting, glabrous except for tuft of hairs below spike
14
Sepals 1/2-3/4 length of capsule; corolla tube < to nearly 2× length of lobes; spike 1-many-flowered; scape rarely hidden, usually = or exceeding lvs, hairy
15
14
Sepals < 1 mm long; capsule 1.5-3 mm long; lvs usually linear to narrow-ovate, to narrow- to broad-elliptic, occasionally subulate
A
A Lvs very narrow-linear to lanceolate or narrow-elliptic, moderately fleshy; scape usually, but not always, markedly elongating at fruiting
subsp. triandra
Lvs narrow- to broad-elliptic, lanceolate or narrow-ovate, thick and fleshy; scape scarcely elongating at fruiting
subsp masoniae
Sepals 2-5 mm long; capsule 4.5-11 mm long; lvs subulate or linear-subulate
15
Bracts and sepals hairy or at least with prominent marginal cilia; spike usually many-flowered; corolla lobes 1.5-2 × 1.3 mm; ovules 4
A
Primary root usually persisting; bracts and sepals with glabrous keels
subsp. picta
Primary root usually rather short-lived; bracts and sepals usually with hairy keels
subsp spathulata
Bracts and sepals glabrous or almost so (occasionally with minute marginal cilia); spike 1-many-flowered; corolla lobes usually 1-2 × 0.4-1 mm; ovules 4- c. 16
16
16
Lf lamina usually > 4 cm long; spike ± cylindric, sometimes short and broadly ovoid or oblong, occasionally subglobose, usually 5-many-flowered; capsule with 5 seeds, uppermost seed horizontal or oblique
Lf lamina usually < 5 cm long; spike usually ± globular with < 8 fls; capsule with 4 seeds, all ± vertical
17
17
Lvs linear to lanceolate or narrow-rhombic, generally prominently dentate, sometimes entire, the base attenuate; bracts membranous except for narrow herbaceous keel; spikes with 1-2-(4) fls
Lvs narrowly to broadly elliptic, sometimes ± rhombic, entire or with margin sinuate or obscurely toothed, the base generally cuneate, if attenuate then fls usually > 3 per spike; bracts with rather wide herbaceous keel; spike with 1-8-(20) fls

c. 260 spp., temperate regions and montane tropics. Native spp. 8, naturalised 8.

Plantago spp. are notable for their plasticity in form and stature, and factors such as soil, light, precipitation and competition from other plants can profoundly affect these. Thus, not only can lf size and hairiness vary tremendously but also lf alignment varies from prostrate to erect in one population; in some indigenous spp. plants or even lvs on one plant may vary from entire to being furnished with long narrow teeth. Scape length, shape, and number of fls, are other characters that can exhibit great variation; short, fat and few-flowered spikes on short scapes or elongated, slender and many-flowered spikes on long scapes, can occur in a single sp. and are probably correlated with different environments. In a few indigenous spp. which have 1 or few fls, the variation in scape elongation after anthesis results in a range of plants from those with almost sessile capsules through to others which have capsules held high above the lvs.