Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Lamiids: Lamiales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Plantago cordata
FAMILY
Plantaginaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Heartleaf Plantain at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Plantago cordata
FAMILY
Plantaginaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 17 (2019)
Plantago cordata
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 172-01-001:
Plantago cordata FAMILY Plantaginaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Plantago cordata
COMMON NAME:
Heartleaf Plantain, King-root
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_plco2_001_lvd
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide pnd_plco2_004_lvd
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_p_cordata_heartlf
April
Summer and winter leaves dimorphic, spring leaves showing a gradual transition between the two, per Weakley's Flora (2022).
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Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_p_cordata_heartlfb
April
Leaf venation pinnate, some major veins departing midvein well above leaf base, per Weakley's Flora (2022).
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Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_plantago_cordata
April
Characteristically, P. cordata is a very robust plant, per Weakley's Flora (2022).
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Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_plantago_cordata_2b
April
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Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_plantago_cordata_3
April
Spikes on scapes from plant base, the inflorescences often 1 meter in height, per Weakley's Flora (2022).
COMPARE
Mousetail and Plantain
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Plantago cordata
FAMILY
Plantaginaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Plantago cordata
FAMILY
Plantaginaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 17
Plantago cordata
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 172-01-001:
Plantago cordata
FAMILY
Plantaginaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Plantago cordata
3750
Emergent aquatic or semi-aquatic (rooted); Forb
Perennial
Habitat: Aquatic or semi-aquatic in streambeds with outcrops of slate, limestone, or calcareous clay, and aquatic in tidal estuaries, per Weakley's Flora
Native to North Carolina & Georgia
Very scattered and rare in every state in which it occurs, except MO
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Basal
FLOWER:
Spring
Spikes brownish or green; flowers green or purplish-brown
Radially symmetrical
4 sepals
4-lobed corolla
4 well exserted stamens
Superior ovary
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer
Capsule dehiscing circumscissily
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".