Plantago eriopoda (Saline Plantain) - photos and description
Some plants have a tuft of woolly brown hairs in the crown
General: Perennial herbs with a stout caudex having
a basal rosette of fleshy leaves. Often with woolly, brown hairs in the
crown.
Very early flowering, most plants were done flowering when we photographed
these on May 20th (in a year with a late spring, too).
Flowers: Flowers grow in a narrow spike, are purple, tiny, have four petals and up to 4 stamens. Spike measured to 4 cm long.
Leaves: Leaves oblanceolate, stalked, leaf highlighted in photo above was measured at 7.5 cm long and 1.5 cm wide, length includes petiole. Bottom of leaves 3-ribbed. Leaves with hairs at base of petiole, otherwise leaves are hairless.
Height: Height listed in Flora of Alberta to 20 cm, we measured scapes to 22 cm tall.
Habitat: Saline prairie.
Abundance: Common.
Origin: Native.
When and where photographed: Photographed these plants May 20th, on saline prairie, about 60 km north of our home in Regina, SK.