E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Plantago eriopoda Torr.
alkali plantain (redwool plantain; saline plantain)
Plantaginaceae (Mare's-tail family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Jamie Fenneman  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #3443)

 E-Flora BC Static Map
Distribution of Plantago eriopoda
Click here to view our interactive map and legend
Details about map content are available here
Click on the map dots to view record details.

Species Information

Click on the image below to view an expanded illustration for this species.
General:
Perennial herb from woolly-hairy, woody stem-base and taproot; stems erect, numerous, simple, smooth except above, 10-55 cm tall.
Leaves:
Basal leaves elliptic to oblong, 5-25 cm long, 0.6-4 cm wide, 3- to 5-veined, entire, stalked; stem leaves lacking.
Flowers:
Inflorescence of dense to loose bracteate spikes, the spikes elongate, 5-20 cm long; corollas brown, 4-lobed, the lobes 1-1.5 mm long, spreading or reflexed; bracts egg-shaped to elliptic, appressed to the sepals; stamens inconspicuous.
Fruits:
Capsules, egg-shaped, 3-4 mm long; seeds 2-4, ellipsoid, brown to black, 2-2.5 mm long, smooth to pitted.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Wet to moist alkaline meadows and salt marshes in the montane zone; rare in NW and SE BC; N to YT and NT, E to PQ and S to NB, CO, CA and MX.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Additional 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.

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Plantago eriopoda

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

Minimum

Average

Maximum
Elevation (metres) 695 932 1170
Slope Gradient (%) 0 0 0
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W] 		360 360 360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric] 		3 4 6
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class		 F
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:		 2
Modal BEC Zone Class
 BWBS
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: BWBS(1)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is not evaluated, unknown or variable.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Plantago shastensis Greene

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links


Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
 International Plant Names Index
 Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
 Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
 Google Image Search
 Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
 General Botanical References for BC
Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2025-01-23 1:22:26 PM ]
Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.
© E-Flora BC: An initiative of the Spatial Data Lab, Department of Geography UBC, and the UBC Herbarium.