Plantago lanceolata L.
ribwort plantain (English plantain; narrowleaf plantain)
Plantaginaceae (Mare's-tail family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
ribwort plantain (English plantain; narrowleaf plantain)
Plantaginaceae (Mare's-tail family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Perennial herb from a short, stout, erect stem-base and taproot with secondary fibrous roots, the stem-base somewhat brown woolly-hairy; stems erect, few, simple, finely grooved, short stiff-hairy, 15-45 (60) cm tall.
Leaves:
Basal leaves lanceolate to oblanceolate or narrowly elliptic, smooth to long-hairy, 3- to several-veined, 10-35 cm long, 1-4 cm wide, stalked, entire; stem leaves lacking.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of dense bracteate spikes, the spikes more or less egg-shaped, becoming cylindric, 1.5-8 cm long, almost 1 cm thick; corollas greenish, 4-lobed, the lobes 2-2.5 mm long, spreading or reflexed; bracts widely egg-shaped, more or less equal to the sepals, thin, pointed; sepals next to the bract united; stamens conspicuous, yellow.
Fruits:
Capsules, narrowly egg-shaped, 3-4 mm long; seeds 2, rarely 1, ellipsoid, shining, blackish, minutely roughened, 2-3 mm long, deeply concave.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Plantago lanceolata
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
142 | 0 | 1585 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
10 | 0 | 55 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
118 | 19 | 360 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
3 | 1 | 7 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
D | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
67 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
CDF | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
CDF(45), CWH(10), ESSF(1), ICH(1), IDF(3) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Mesic to dry lawns, fields and waste places in the lowland, steppe and montane zones; common in SW BC, infrequent N along the coast and E in BC; introduced from Eurasia.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Plantago altissima auct. non L.
Plantago lanceolata var. sphaerostachya Mert. & W.D.J. Koch
Taxonomic Notes
"The family Plantaginaceae includes three genera and an estimated 250-275 species from diverse habitats throughout the world (Pilger 1937). In Canada, the family is represented by two genera containing seven introduced species and ten native species" (Bassett 1973).
References Bassett, I. John. 1973. The Plantains of Canada. Monograph No. 7. Canada Department of Agriculture. |