Plantaginaceae
Plantago

Plantago ciliata Desf.

First published in Fl. Atlant. 1: 137 (1798)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Canary Islands to Pakistan. It is an annual and grows primarily in the desert or dry shrubland biome.

Descriptions

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Ghazanfar, S. A. & Edmondson, J. R (Eds). (2014) Flora of Iraq, Volume 5 Part 2: Lythraceae to Campanulaceae.

Morphology General Habit
Annual, acaulous or short-stemmed, branched from base, 2–10(–18) cm tall, densely silvery-silky hairy
Morphology Leaves
Leaves rosulate, obovate to lanceolate-spatulate, 3–6 × 0.7–1.5 cm, base tapering abruptly into a long petiole, acute, margins usually entire
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Peduncles
Peduncles stout, about as long as leaves
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Spike ovoid to oblong-cylindrical, 0.5–3.5(–4) cm long; bracts concave, ovate, ± acute, midrib herbaceous, broader than the membranous lateral lamina, longvillose, as long as sepals
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals ovate-elliptic, 3–3.5 mm, villous-ciliate, anterior sepals with midrib broader than lateral lamina, posterior sepals with midrib narrower than lateral lamina
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla lobes narrowly ovate-lanceolate, 2–3 × 0.5–1 mm, acute, ciliate, pilose on the outside
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule 2-seeded
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds glossy.
Ecology
In loamy and silty soils, sand dunes, in gypsum quarry in desert, gravel or sandy soil in depression or desert wadis; alt. 10–140 m
Phenology
Flowering and fruiting: Feb.– June.
Distribution
Frequent in the Desert Plateau Region; also found in the Lower Mesopotamian Region. North Africa east to Saudi Arabia, Syria and Iran to Pakistan.
Note
Chalabi recognized var. lanata Boiss. and var. angustifolia Pilger in the original manuscript. Var. angustifolia was separated on its narrowly lanceolate leaves and more hairy corolla lobes and var. lanata on its pilose bracts and marginally broader anterior sepals. Rechinger (loc. cit.) raised the rank of var. lanata to subspecies with a note to say that the type subsp. ciliata is found from North Africa west to Sinai, and subsp. lanata from Syria and Saudi Arabia to Pakistan. Both taxa occur in Iraq, and according to Chalabi var. lanata is as common as the type variety, and morphologically not easy to distinguish from it.
[FIQ]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of Iraq

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • World Checklist of Vascular plants (WCVP)

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0