Plantago maritima.Richard Payne.Falmouth, MA. 2015

Plantago maritima is a perennial herb from deep roots. 

Leaves alternate, all basal, strongly ascending, linear, thick, fleshy to 15 cm long. 

Flowers dry, papery, individually inconspicuous, in spikes 2-10 cm, usually interrupted below, petal lobes about 0.1 cm long, bracts broadly egg-shaped, tips pointed, about as long as calyx; flowering stem 5-20 cm, hairy above, as long or longer than leaves; blooming and fruiting June-Sept. 

Fruit a dry, hollow capsule, egg-shaped, longer than persistent calyx, seeds 2-4, about 0.2 cm long. 

Wetland status: FACW. 

Frequency in NYC: Rare (NYS S2S3, T). 

Origin: native 

Habitat: Salt marshes, beaches, rocky coastal sites.