PLANTAGO LAGOPUS

Family and Genus:- See- PLANTAGINACEAE/Subgen. PLANTAGO

Common Names:- Haresfoot plantain

Homotypic Synonyms:- None

Meaning:- Plantago (L) Foot-sole-like, (reference to the way the leaves lie flat on

the ground).

Lagopus (Gr) Hare's-foot.

General description:- Annual with a thin taproot.

Leaves:-

1) Usually in a single rosette, 3-10(-15) cm, lanceolate to oblanceolate, 1-5-veined,

acute, glabrous or hirsute.

Flowers:-

1) Scapes, usually several, ascending to erect, exceeding the leaves, margins

entire or remotely dentate, glabrous to sparsely appressed-pubescent.

2) Spike, 1-3 cm, narrowly ovoid to broadly cylindrical, dense.

3) Bracts, 2.5-5 mm, ovate to lanceolate, densely clothed with long hairs.

4) Anterior sepals, connate for more than half their length.

5) Corolla tube, c. 2 mm, glabrous.

6) Style, long-exserted.

Fruit:-

1) Capsule, 3-4 mm.

2) Seeds, 2, c. 1.8 mm.

Key features:-

1) Bracts and sepals, densely villious.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Sandy and rocky coastal habitats, dry open shrubby vegetation, open

coniferous woodland, grassy slopes, fallow fields. 0-800(-1300).

Distribution:- Throughout Greece except in the NW. - Widespread in the

Mediterranean region and SW Asia eastwards to Pakistan. Widespread and

common on Crete.

Flowering time:- Mid-Mar to June.

Photo by:- Dr.Armin Jagel