General: Perennial herb from a stout taproot; stems erect, numerous, simple, hollow, smooth or sometimes hairy above when young, 25-45 (60) cm tall.
Leaves: Basal leaves lanceolate to oblanceolate, smooth, several-veined, 10-45 cm long, 1-3.5 cm wide, narrowed at the base to the distinct stalks, entire; stem leaves lacking.
Flowers: Inflorescence of short, dense, bracteate spikes, the spikes short at first then elongate, 5-15 cm long; corollas greenish to brownish, 4-lobed, the lobes 1.5-2 mm long, spreading; bracts shorter than the flowers; stamens conspicuous.
Moist to wet meadows, beaches, upper tidal marshes, shorelines and bogs in the lowland zone; infrequent along the coast in BC; amphiberingian, N to S AK and S to OR, E Asia.
"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.
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Plantago macrocarpa
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)
