Common name: Buck's-horn Plantain
Plantago coronopus L. APNI* Description: Perennial or annual herb, with a persistent taproot; pilose to almost glabrous.
Leaves basal, oblong to narrow-oblong in outline, mostly 1–7 cm long, 5–20 mm wide, 1-veined, margins pinnatisect or deeply toothed or rarely entire.
Scapes to 45 cm high but often much shorter; spike compact, cylindrical, 0.8–5 cm long, the flowers compressed; bracts broad-ovate, 1.5–2.8 mm long. Sepals elliptic or ovate, 2.3–3 mm long; keel pubescent, inner sepals winged on the keel. Corolla lobes ovate to elliptic, 0.8–1 mm long.
Capsule ovoid 2–2.5 mm long; seeds usually 5.
Flowering: September–December
Distribution and occurrence: Grows in disturbed sites, common in maritime environments; widespread.
NSW subdivisions: *CC, *SC, *NT, *CT, *ST, *CWS, *SWS, *SWP, *NFWP
Other Australian states: *Qld *Vic. *Tas. *S.A. *W.A.
Text by B. G. Briggs Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 3 (1992)
| Key to the subspecies | |
1 | Scapes slender, 0.5–1.8 mm diam., mostly longer than leaves; spike dense, flowers often spreading, bracts mostly longer than sepals; keel of anterior sepals ± equal to membranous margins | subsp. coronopus |
| Scapes stout, usually 1.3–2.3 mm diam., shorter than or equal to leaves; spike very dense, flowers appressed to axis and closely imbricate; bracts mostly shorter than or equal to sepals, keel of anterior sepals much broader than membranous margins | subsp. commutata |
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data ***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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