American Plantain (New York City EcoFlora Volunteer Guide)

American Plantain

Plantago rugelii

Summary ⁴

Plantago rugelii is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family, Plantaginaceae. It is native to North America, where it occurs in eastern Canada and the central and eastern United States. Its common names include American plantain, blackseed plantain, pale plantain, and Rugel's plantain. The generic name Plantago is from the Latin planta ("footprint") and the species name rugelii honors Ferdinand Ignatius Xavier Rugel (1806-1879), a German-born botanist and pharmacist.

At the Garden ⁵

American plantain or blackseed plantain is a common weed at the Garden, found in lawns, sidewalk cracks, and disturbed areas.

Description ⁶

This is a native perennial plant that consists of a low-growing rosette of basal leaves, from which flowering scapes up to 10" tall emerge from the center. The basal leaves are up to 6" long and 4" across, and have long petioles. They are oval, parallel-veined, hairless, and have smooth margins that occasionally undulate. The petioles near the base of the rosette are light purple on some plants. The flowering scapes are unbranched and narrowly cylindrical. Each scape consists of a rather dense spike of tiny green flowers and their bracts. Each flower is less than 1/8" long and consists of 4 sepals, which are surrounded by lanceolate bracts. The blooming period usually occurs during the summer, and sometimes later if there is a major disturbance that prevents development of the flowering scapes. Pollination is by wind, rather than insects. The flowers rapidly turn brown, and are replaced by elongated seed capsules that are shaped like a tiny narrow acorn. They split open to below the middle by a lid, releasing 2-9 seeds each. The seeds are black, oval and slightly angular, with a tiny indentation in the middle of one side. There is no reticulation on the surface. These seeds become sticky when wet, and can attach themselves to blowing leaves and other passing objects. The root system is quite branched and coarsely fibrous.

Comments ⁷

This plant closely resembles Plantago major (Common Plantain) from Eurasia. Black-Seeded Plantain differs from the latter species by the appearance of its seeds (e.g., they are black and lack surface reticulation) and its more narrow seed capsules. This plant is widely regarded as an unattractive weed, but its ecological value, particularly to small animals and moths, is rather high. Return

Sources and Credits

(c) Steven J. Baskauf, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://bioimages.vanderbilt.edu/baskauf/12548
(c) Erik Danielsen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Erik Danielsen
(c) Corey Lange, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Corey Lange
(c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantago_rugelii
(c) bkmertz, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
Adapted by bkmertz from a work by (c) John Hilty, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/29447345
Adapted by bkmertz from a work by (c) John Hilty, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/29447348

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