Plantago aristata
Encyclopedia
Plantago aristata is a species of plantain
known by the common name largebracted plantain. It is native to the eastern and central United States, and it can be found in other parts of North America as well as parts of Eurasia as an introduced species
. It grows in many types of habitat, including disturbed areas, where it is a minor weed
. It is an annual herb usually lacking a stem, producing a circular rosette of many narrow linear leaves each up to 15 centimeters long. The stemlike inflorescence
s grow erect to a maximum height around 30 or 35 centimeters tall. Atop the peduncle
of the inflorescence is a dense spike of many small flowers each with four whitish lobes a few millimeters long. Between the flowers are long, narrow bract
s which may be 3 centimeters long, the defining characteristic of the species. The bracts have fluffy hairs around their bases near the flowers.
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 name largebracted plantain. It is native to the eastern and central United States, and it can be found in other parts of North America as well as parts of Eurasia as an introduced species
Introduced species
An introduced species — or neozoon, alien, exotic, non-indigenous, or non-native species, or simply an introduction, is a species living outside its indigenous or native distributional range, and has arrived in an ecosystem or plant community by human activity, either deliberate or accidental...
. It grows in many types of habitat, including disturbed areas, where it is a minor weed
Weed
A weed in a general sense is a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance, and normally applied to unwanted plants in human-controlled settings, especially farm fields and gardens, but also lawns, parks, woods, and other areas. More specifically, the term is often used to...
. It is an annual herb usually lacking a stem, producing a circular rosette of many narrow linear leaves each up to 15 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 30 or 35 centimeters tall. 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 dense spike of many small flowers each with four whitish lobes a few millimeters long. Between the flowers are long, narrow 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 which may be 3 centimeters long, the defining characteristic of the species. The bracts have fluffy hairs around their bases near the flowers.