Plantago patagonica is a species of plantain known by the common name woolly plantain. It is native to much of North America, including the southern half of Canada, the western and central United States, and northern Mexico, and parts of southern South America. It grows in many types of habitat, including grassland, desert and woodlands. It is a hairy annual herb producing linear or very narrowly lance-shaped basal leaves up to 10 centimetres (4 in) long. There are usually many stemlike inflorescences growing erect to a maximum height of around 15 cm (6 in).[1] Atop the peduncle of the inflorescence is a dense cylindrical or somewhat conical spike of several tiny flowers and bracts. The spike is very woolly.[1]
| Plantago patagonica | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Plantaginaceae |
| Genus: | Plantago |
| Species: | P. patagonica
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| Binomial name | |
| Plantago patagonica | |
| Synonyms | |
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Plantago picta | |
Native Americans including the Navajo, Puebloans, and Hopi used this as a medicinal and ceremonial plant. The Navajo and Puebloans use it for headaches, diarrhea, babies' colic, and to reduce appetite and prevent obesity.[2]
Woolly plantain is a host species for the Edith's checkerspot butterfly.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b Taylor, Ronald J. (1994) [1992]. Sagebrush Country: A Wildflower Sanctuary (rev. ed.). Missoula, MT: Mountain Press Pub. Co. p. 118. ISBN 0-87842-280-3. OCLC 25708726.
- ^ M., Burns, Pearl. Wildflowers of the Sandia and Manzano Mountains of central New Mexico. ISBN 1578335299. OCLC 756210704.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Quino Checkerspot Butterfly: Euphydryas editha quino". U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
External links
edit
- Plantago patagonica. The Jepson eFlora 2012.
- CalPhotos
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