narrowleaf plantain
Family
PlantaginaceaeScientific Name
Plantago lanceolata
Other Common Names:
English plantain
buckhorn
buckhorn plantain
lanceleaf plantain
ribgrass
ribwort
Synonyms (former Scientific Names):
Plantago altissima
Plantago lanceolata var. sphaerostachya
Leaves
All leaves are in a basal rosette. Leaves are linear to lanceolate (5-25 cm long by 1-2.5 cm wide) with veins running the length of the leaf, may be sparsely hairy or without hairs.
Identifying Characteristics
Narrow, linear leaves from a basal rosette with characteristic flowering spikes typical of a plantain.
Flower Seed Head
Flowers: A spike that is unbranched and leafless to 10 cm long and contains many inconspicuous flowers.
Seed Fruit
Seedling: Cotyledons resemble a grass emerging, are linear and smooth.
Where Found
Perennial weed primarily of turfgrass found throughout the continental United States.
Growth Habit
prostrate and nonwoody
Thorns or Spines
not present
Approximate Flower Diameter
pencil
Dominant Flower Color
Varies:
yellow,
green
Flower Symmetry
radial symmetery
Leaf Hairs
has hairs
Leaf Shape
lance
Leaf Arrangement
rosette
Leaf Margin
entire
Leaf Structure
simple
Leaf Stalk
none
Stem Hairs
no hairs
Stem Cross Section
round or oval
Milky Sap
not present
Root Structure
taproot
Life Cycle
perennial
Ochrea
not present
Plant Type
Herb