Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Lamiids: Lamiales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Plantago virginica
FAMILY
Plantaginaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Virginia Plantain at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Plantago virginica
FAMILY
Plantaginaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 17 (2019)
Plantago virginica
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 172-01-008:
Plantago virginica FAMILY Plantaginaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Plantago virginica
COMMON NAME:
Virginia Plantain, Southern Plantain, Paleseed Plantain, Hoary Plantain
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_plvi_001_lvd
)
JK Marlow jkm230328_2107
March Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
Woolly-hairy, leafless flowering scapes, often red-tinged at the base, per Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019).
)
JK Marlow jkm230328_2108
March Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
Each tiny flower greenish-white, w a narrow papery corolla w 4 erect lobes & a calyx w 4 sepals, per Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019).
)
JK Marlow jkm230328_2109
March Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
Stamens and stigma well exserted, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm110416_769
April Etowah County AL
)
JK Marlow jkm120407_655
April Spartanburg County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm130420_546
April Transylvania County NC
Foothills Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm140411_813
April Spartanburg County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm200425_4320
April Pickens County SC
Glassy Mountain Heritage Preserve
Leaves hairy and petioles purple at base, per Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses (Miller & Miller, 2005).
)
JK Marlow jkm210413_9542
April Greenville County SC
Blackwell Heritage Preserve
Upper part of the rachis hidden by flowers or fruit, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
COMPARE
Mousetail and Plantain
)
JK Marlow jkm210413_9543
April Greenville County SC
Blackwell Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm250429_0079
April Greenville County SC
Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area
)
Keith Bradley kab_p_virginica_0382
April Richland County SC
Riverwalk Park
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_plantago_virginica
April
)
JK Marlow jkm140521_067
May Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm140521_069
May Greenville County SC
Swamp Rabbit Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm210516_0496
May Greenville County SC
Tall Pines Wildlife Management Area
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Plantago virginica
FAMILY
Plantaginaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Plantago virginica
FAMILY
Plantaginaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 17
Plantago virginica
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 172-01-008:
Plantago virginica
FAMILY
Plantaginaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Plantago virginica
1102
Forb
Winter annual/Biennial
Often dioecious
Habitat: Saline marshes, thin soils over rock, roadsides, lawns, disturbed areas, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Simple
Basal
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Spikes greenish or yellowish; flowers greenish-white
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!
- Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses (Miller & Miller, 2005) p146
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p084
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p097
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p281
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p234
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p276
- Weeds of Southern Turfgrasses (Murphy et al., 1992) p162
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".