| Author | Lamarck | |
| Distribution | Restricted to a highly specialized habitat, in the central Piedmont -- known from a few sites in just two counites -- Davidson and Stanly.
This is a scarce species in its range, from NY to WI, and south to northern FL and northern AR; very rare in most states other than MO. | |
| Abundance | Very rare in the Piedmont, limited to a few sites near each other. This is a State Endangered species. | |
| Habitat | In NC, it is restricted to slate-bottomed creeks, where it roots within the creek as a semi-aquatic species, though nearly all of the plant extends far above the creek surface. | |
| Phenology | Flowers in March and April, and fruits in May and June. | |
| Identification | This species has several huge basal leaves, each broadly heart-shaped to ovate, with a cordate base, about 6-8 inches long and 4-5 inches wide, ascending at a roughly 45-degree angle from the water. The flowering scape reaches about 8 inches tall, with most of it containing a very narrow but densely-flowered spike of tiny flowers. As the flowers have papery petals, they are insignificant to identification, and it is the very large leaves (with the cordate bases) and the slate-creek habitat that characterize this very rare species. A few other Plantago species have fairly large ovate to broadly elliptical leaves, but they have tapered bases and are not normally over 6 inches long. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | None
| |
| Other Common Name(s) | Water Plantain | |
| State Rank | S1 | |
| Global Rank | G4 | |
| State Status | E | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | OBL link |
| USACE-emp | OBL link |
