North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Plantago major

Plantago major L.

common plantain, whiteman’s-foot

Synonym(s): Plantago asiatica, Plantago halophila, Plantago major ssp. intermedia, Plantago major var. asiatica, Plantago major var. intermedia, Plantago major var. pachyphylla, Plantago major var. pilgeri, Plantago major var. scopulorum
Cultivar(s): Rubrifolia

Image ID: 25866
Image by: Bradley, Keith
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: PLMA2
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Plantago major
Include in WOTAS: 1
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2017-12-27

CULTIVAR INDEX

Cult_id	Cultivar_name	Action
1512	Rubrifolia	View

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: PLANT
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Plantago
GENUS AUTHORITY: L.
GENUS COMMON: Plantain
GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of about 270 species, herbs and rarely shrubs, of cosmopolitan distribution. Harper (1944) discusses at length the interesting issue of the native distributions of the many weedy species of Plantago. The native or introduced status of many of our species is uncertain or controversial.
GENUS IDENTIFICATION:
GENUS REFERENCES: Shipunov in FNA (in prep.); Rosatti (1984)=Z; Bassett (1966)=Y; Bassett (1967)=X; Schwarzbach in Kadereit (2004).

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: PLANTA
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Plantaginaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: A.L. de Jussieu 1789
FAMILY COMMON: Plantain Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: As radically recircumscribed, a family of about 120 genera and 1800 species.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Albach, Meudt, & Oxelman (2005); Olmstead et al. (2001); Schwarzbach in Kadereit (2004); Fischer in Kadereit (2004).

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO: Erect perennial (sometimes annual) from a basal rosette, found in fields, lawns, roadsides and other open or partially open, disturbed areas. Native of Europe, possibly also native in ne. North America.
STEMS: Stems 1-several leafless scapes arising from a 5- to 12-in.-wide basal rosette; smooth to finely hairy.
LEAVES: Leaves basal, with petioles that are green and rough-hairy at least at the base, oval, 2-5 in. long, with 5 parallel veins, smooth or sparsely hairy above, sometimes hairy on veins beneath.
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS: Flowers densely packed in a narrowly cylindric spike occupying the upper 2/3 of each scape; greenish-white; tiny. Each flower consisting of a papery corolla with 4 spreading, lance-shaped lobes; 4 keeled sepals; a pistil with a single white style; 4 stamens and a green bract.
FRUITS:
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT: 2-20 in.

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Herb

LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Basal
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Simple
LEAF RETENTION:

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY:
BLOOM TIME: May-Nov

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
				x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR: Greenish-white

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
x					x

FRUITING PERIOD:

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE: Disturbed
NATIVE RANGE: Europe & Asia

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text:

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Dry, Average
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE:
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM COLLECTIONS

Coll_id	Project	Collection date	Collector	Action
1078	HORT			View

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
6583	1996-0217			View
9086	2004-0231	2006-05-19	1078	View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
9297	6583	142	NCBG staff	1996-11-12	View
11480	9086	92	NCBG staff	2004-07-01	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: PLMA2
USDA Common Name: Common Plantain
Native Status: L48 (I), AK (I), HI (I), PR (I), VI (I), CAN (I), GL (I), SPM (I)
Distribution: USA (AK, AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UM, UT, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY), USA+ (PR, VI), CAN (AB, BC, LB, MB, NB, N
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Forb/herb

NATIONAL WETLAND INDICATOR STATUS

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	FAC	FAC	FAC	FACU	FACU	FAC	FACU	FAC	FACU	FAC

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.3 (Lichvar, R.W., D.L. Banks, W.N. Kirchner, and N.C. Melvin. 2016. The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2016-30: 1-17. Published 28 April 2016. ISSN 2153 733X). Regions: AGCP-Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, AK-Alaska, AW-Arid West, CB-Caribbean, EMP-Eastern Mountains and Piedmont, GP-Great Plains, HI-Hawaii, MW-Midwest, NCNE-Northcentral and Northeast, WMCV-Western Mountains, Valleys & Coast

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Plantago major
COMMON NAME: Common Plantain, Whiteman's-foot
SYNONYMY: [= C, FNA, GW, K, Mo, Pa, RAB, S, Va, W, WH3, WV, Z; > P. major var. major - F; > P. major var. scopulorum Fries & Broberg - F; > P. major ssp. pleiosperma Pilger var. paludosa Béguinot - G; > P. major ssp. pleiosperma Pilger var. scopulorum Fries & Broberg - G; > P. major ssp. intermedia (A.P. de Candolle) Arcangeli; > P. major var. intermedia (A.P. de Candolle) Pilger]
PHENOLOGY: May-Nov.
HABITAT: Lawns, roadsides, disturbed areas; native of Europe, possibly also native in ne. North America, possibly as far south as the northern part of our area.
COMMENTS: Very variable, and possibly worthy of some of the infraspecific subdivisions suggested by various authors. The Coastal Plain populations associated with the Chesapeake Bay in VA may represent a native, estuarine genotype.
RANGE MAP: Plantago major.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Plantaginaceae A.L. de Jussieu 1789 (Plantain Family)
SUMMARY: As radically recircumscribed, a family of about 120 genera and 1800 species.
REFERENCE: Albach, Meudt, & Oxelman (2005); Olmstead et al. (2001); Schwarzbach in Kadereit (2004); Fischer in Kadereit (2004).

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Plantago L. (Plantain)
SUMMARY: A genus of about 270 species, herbs and rarely shrubs, of cosmopolitan distribution. Harper (1944) discusses at length the interesting issue of the native distributions of the many weedy species of Plantago. The native or introduced status of many of our species is uncertain or controversial.
REFERENCE: Shipunov in FNA (in prep.); Rosatti (1984)=Z; Bassett (1966)=Y; Bassett (1967)=X; Schwarzbach in Kadereit (2004).

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Plantago major in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Plantago major in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Plantago major in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Plantago major in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Plantago major in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Plantago major

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 25866 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 25866 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 0 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 32630 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)