Plantago asiatica subsp. erosa (Wallich) Z. Y. Li, Sp. Pl. 113 1753. (syn: Plantago centralis Pilg.; Plantago erosa Wall.);
Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka as per Flora of China;
China (Chongqing, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Qinghai,
Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan), Tibet, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Pakistan (Hazara,
Murree), Jammu & Kashmir (Kashmir), Nepal, Sri Lanka
as per Catalogue of Life;

Herbs, stem short or absent. Leaves radical, 7 x 5 cm, ovate, apex obtuse, base cuneate into a winged petiole, villous; petiole 5-6 cm long, sheathing at base. Flowers in elongated axillary dense spikes, bracts ovate, keeled; sepals 4, 2.5 mm long, ovate; corolla 2.5 mm long, salver-shaped, shortly lobed at apex, white; stamens 4, epipetalous, anthers versatile; ovary 1-celled; ovules 5-10; style 1, terminal, stigma linear. Capsule circumscissile, 6 x 3 mm; seeds many, oblong, black.

Flowering and fruiting: April-June
Grasslands
Pantropical
(Attributions- Dr. N Sasidharan (Dr. B P Pal Fellow), Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi from India Biodiversity Portal)              


Plantago major complex ABMAY2019/01 : 6 posts by 3 authors. Attachments (23)

I have been trying to establish the correct identity of our plantago species here. Since it is a difficult genus, it took me quite a while to reach some conclusion. Following our previous conversation I had started with Plantago major as the beginning point. Referring to the excellent Tibetan Medicinal Plants edited by Christa Kletter and Monika Kriechbaum (I found a copy in a Tibetan library here). I started looking first at Plantago depressa because our plants do not always have noticeable broad leaves. Studying the visible characteristics was not enough to rule out depressa so I had to pull out two plants (something I don’t enjoy doing) to look at the root structure. I found the younger of the two plants without any rootstock but the other had a stocky rootstock, the bottom end of which looked cut, which according to the key in the book ruled out depressa (which should have a taproot). Furthermore the seedpods contained between 9 and 14 tiny seeds each measuring roughly 1.2 mm, strengthening the case for P. major complex (depressa should have 6-8, 2 mm each). 
Once I ruled out depressa, I started looking at plants similar to P. major (within the complex) that fit the description of our plants. A comment in the book said that P. erosa is difficult to tell apart from P. major but erosa has hairy leaves especially when they are young. I looked at young leaves and found them to be hairy. In fact there are scattered leaves even on the mature leaves. Also according to the key, erosa should have a continuous sepal keel, which again is true for our plants (I will appreciate if someone could confirm this looking at the photos).

So I am inclined to put our plants as P. erosa within the larger P. major complex. Please advise.
I found another pdf on the family here.
All plants were photographed at roughly 1700-1800m altitude between 08-10 May 2019 in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh.


Thanks, …, for the well researched presentation.
May I request you to pl. also have a look at … posts at Plantago asiatica subsp. erosa 

References:

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