Species: Plantago maritima var. juncoides (Lam.) Gray

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Plantago maritima var. juncoides (Lam.) Gray

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TAXONOMY

Family:

Plantaginaceae

Genus:

Plantago

Species Synonyms:

Plantago juncoides var. decipiens (Barneoud) Fern.
Plantago juncoides var. glauca (Hornem.) Fern.
Plantago juncoides var. laurentiana Fern.
Plantago maritima ssp. borealis (Lange) Blytt & O. Dahl
Plantago maritima ssp. juncoides (Lam.) Hultén
Plantago oliganthos Roemer & J.A. Schultes
Plantago oliganthos var. fallax Fern.
Plantago juncoides Lam.

Common Names:

goose tongue
seaside plantain

DISTRIBUTION

Canada:

western British Columbia – southwestern Yukon Territory, Great Bear Lake region, northwestern Alberta, east-central Saskatchewan – west-central Manitoba, Hudson Bay Coast, Labrador – Newfoundland – Quebec – Nova Scotia

Saskatchewan:

east-central Saskatchewan; Nietenai River Salt Marshes

Ecoregion:

Mid-Boreal Lowland

HABITAT

Saskatchewan:

salt springs and wet saline marshes

Associated Species:

seaside arrowgrass

RARITY STATUS

Provincial Status According
to Harms (2003):

Endangered

Nature Conservancy Status:

G5T5 S1

Saskatchewan Species at
Risk Status:

None

COSEWIC Status:

None

Goose tongue is endangered in Saskatchewan because it is extremely rare. It is restricted to one region of the province but is usually locally numerous. No immediate threats are known for this species.

SPECIES DESCRIPTION

Height:

5 – 20 cm

Stems:

perennial, leafless and terminating in an inflorescence, usually longer than leaves, hairless to hairy

Leaves:

basal, ascending, to 20 cm long, 1.5 cm wide, linear to thread-like or lance-shaped, thick, fleshy, almost 3-angled in cross-section, hairless, 3 – 5-nerved margin entire or distantly toothed

Inflorescence:

spikes 2 – 10 cm long, dense, often interrupted below, axis hairy; bracts 1.5 – 4 mm long, ovate, margin minutely hairy; flowering stalks 1 – several

Flowers:

sepals and petal tube hairy; sepals oblong, rounded on the back; petal lobes spreading, 1 – 1.5 mm long; stamens 4

Fruits:

capsule opening like a lid below middle, ovoid; seeds 2 - 4

PLANTAGO KEY FOR SPECIES FOUND IN SASKATCHEWAN

1 Leaves linear, blades and stalks not well-differentiated	2
1 Leaves oval, lance-shaped, elliptic or inversely lance-shaped, stalks and blades well-differentiated	5

2 Bracts of spike very conspicuous, awn-tipped	P. patagonica var. spinulosa
2 Bracts somewhat inconspicuous, generally shorter than the flowers, not awn-tipped	3

3 Corolla tube hairy	P. maritima var. juncoides
3 Corolla tube hairless	4

4 Leaves and spikes densely white woolly; leaves linear, greater than 1 mm wide; stamens 4	P. patagonica var. patagonica
4 Leaves and spikes hairless or nearly so; leaves thread-like, about 1 mm wide; stamens 2	P. elongata ssp. elongata

5 Leaves lance-shaped to elliptic or inversely lance-shaped, margin entire or sparsely toothed; sepals apparently 3 (2 united with a double midvein	P. lanceolata
5 Leaves oval, margin wavy to coarsely toothed; sepals 4	6

6 Petal lobes less than 1 mm long; seeds up to 30; leaf blade abruptly tapering to a narrow stalk, blades on the ground	P. major
6 Petal lobes greater than 1 mm long; seeds at most 4; leaf blade gradually tapering to a stalk, blades ascending	P. eriopoda