Illinois Natural History Survey - University of Illinois

Plantago cordata
Heartleaf plantain
Taxonomy

Synonyms:

Subspecific taxa:

Classification:

Other taxonomic & nomenclature sources: USDA Plants;  ITIS;  The Plant List;  IPNI

Images

   
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Species Distribution
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More about map & occurrence records

County Map Legend
Absent:
Not known from county
Medium confidence:
Medium or unknown confidence;
often old records or unverifiable observations
Medium-high confidence:
Often observations by expert botanists
High confidence:
Often vouchered herbarium records
Planted / introduced:
Native species introduced outside historic range,
or only in planted locations within county (e.g., restorations)
Historic / extirpated:
Only historic records for the species; likely extirpated
(Note that this category is not yet functional)

North American distribution maps for this species: FLNA;  USDA Plants;  BONAP;  BISON

Collections, Observations & Flowering by Month [?]

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F
0
M
0
A
0
M
0
J
0
J
0
A
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S
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O
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N
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D
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Collections & Observations by Decade [?]

Species Status

Status/Listing: State Endangered, Regional Forester Sensitive Species

Notes:

Origin: Native

Species Description

General: Dicot-herb, perennial

Roots: adventitious, fibrous

Shoots: basal leaf arrangment; simple leaf type; entire, undulate leaf margin; Parallel leaf venation; lanceolate, obovate, orbicular and peltate leaf shape

Inflorescence: spike

Flowers: perfect; 4 merous; complete, regular; white; hypogynous ovary position

Fruit: capsule

Physiology: autotrophic; C3 C02 fixation

Reproduction: sexual

Ecology & Natural History

Habitat: Occurs along intermittent streams which carry seasonal water and may dry out completely; grows on the gravel beds. Occasionally in fine-textured soils in wet woodlands Quercus rubra, Q. macrocarpa, Q. muhlenbergia, and Rhamnus frangula; shallow, clear water streams under a forest canopy; calcareous; areas free from vascular plant competition.

ILPIN Notes: The young fleshy leaves and tender petioles may be cooked as a vegetable (Steyermark, 1963). Tessene, M. F. 1969. Systematic and ecological studies on Plantago cordata. The Michigan Botanist 8: 72-104. Kurz, D. R., and M. L. Bowles. 1981. Report on the status of Illinois vascular plants potentially endangered or threatened in the United States. Natural Land Institute, Rockford.

Functional Relationships:

  • Pollinators: wind
  • Dispersal: water
  • Mycorrhizae:
  • N2 fixation:

Human Relationships:

  • Edibility [?] :
  • Showy Flowers:

Wildlife and Livestock Information:

  • Food Value:
  • Cover Value:

Coefficient of Conservatism (C-value) [?] :

  • Entire State: 10
  • Chicago Area: 10

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