98. Arnoglossum Raf. (Indian plantain)
Plants
perennial, the rootstock with somewhat fleshy roots. Stems erect or strongly
ascending, usually unbranched below the inflorescence, sometimes lined,
grooved, or angled, glabrous, sometimes glaucous. Leaves in a basal rosette and
alternate, progressively reduced in size from the stem base to tip, glabrous
(except sometimes along portions of the margins), sometimes glaucous. Basal and
lowermost stem leaves long-petiolate, the blades simple, entire to palmately lobed,
the margins otherwise entire or shallowly, irregularly, and bluntly toothed,
the venation palmate or appearing more or less parallel, with 3–10 main veins.
Inflorescences panicles, terminal and axillary from the uppermost leaves,
usually flat-topped in profile. Heads discoid, short- to long-stalked, with 5
florets. Involucre 7–10 mm long, more or less cylindrical, the bracts in 1 or
less commonly 2 series, glabrous, the inner series of 5 bracts, these rounded
dorsally or sharply keeled, uniformly greenish white or green centrally with
white margins; the outer series absent or of few minute bracts, these
appressed, green or greenish white. Corollas white, cream-colored, or rarely
somewhat pinkish-tinged. Style branches with a stigmatic band along each inner
surface. Fruits 3.5–5.0 mm long, narrowly oblong to narrowly oblong-elliptic in
outline, not flattened, 10-ribbed (12–15-ribbed in A. reniforme),
glabrous, dark brown. Eight species, eastern U.S. and adjacent Canada.