Plantago elongata
Encyclopedia
Plantago elongata is a species of plantain
known by the common names prairie plantain and slender plantain. It is native to much of western North America, from British Columbia
to California
and as far east as Minnesota
. It grows in wet habitat, such as vernal pool
s and wet meadows, including areas with saline and alkali soils
, such as beaches. It is a petite annual herb producing a few narrow linear or threadlike basal leaves up to 10 centimeters long. The stemlike inflorescence
s grow erect to a maximum height around 18 centimeters. Atop the peduncle
of the inflorescence is a spike of several tiny flowers each with a rounded or oval calyx of sepal
s covered with thick, fleshy green bract
s.
Plantago
Plantago is a genus of about 200 species of small, inconspicuous plants commonly called plantains. They share this name with the very dissimilar plantain, a kind of banana. Most are herbaceous plants, though a few are subshrubs growing to 60 cm tall. The leaves are sessile, but have a narrow...
known by the common names prairie plantain and slender plantain. It is native to much of western North America, from British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and as far east as Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. It grows in wet habitat, such as vernal pool
Vernal pool
Vernal pools, also called vernal ponds or ephemeral pools, are temporary pools of water. They are usually devoid of fish, and thus allow the safe development of natal amphibian and insect species...
s and wet meadows, including areas with saline and alkali soils
Alkali soils
Alkali, or alkaline, soils are clay soils with high pH , a poor soil structure and a low infiltration capacity. Often they have a hard calcareous layer at 0.5 to 1 metre depth. Alkali soils owe their unfavorable physico-chemical properties mainly to the dominating presence of sodium carbonate...
, such as beaches. It is a petite annual herb producing a few narrow linear or threadlike basal leaves up to 10 centimeters long. The stemlike inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s grow erect to a maximum height around 18 centimeters. Atop the peduncle
Peduncle (botany)
In botany, a peduncle is a stem supporting an inflorescence, or after fecundation, an infructescence.The peduncle is a stem, usually green and without leaves, though sometimes colored or supporting small leaves...
of the inflorescence is a spike of several tiny flowers each with a rounded or oval calyx of sepal
Sepal
A sepal is a part of the flower of angiosperms . Collectively the sepals form the calyx, which is the outermost whorl of parts that form a flower. Usually green, sepals have the typical function of protecting the petals when the flower is in bud...
s covered with thick, fleshy green bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
s.