Plant: Perennial herb; to 65 (-85) cm tall Leaves: petiolate; blades lanceolate, 4-24.5 cm long, 0.5-4.2 cm wide, long attenuate at base, acute at apex, sparsely pubescent to glabrate, distinctly 5 (-7)-veined, with margins occasionally having a few, remote teeth INFLORESCENCE: pedunculate, scapose; PEDUNCLES 13-86 cm, strigose. SPIKES 1.5-7 cm long; bracts broadly triangular, (1.5-) 2 mm long Flowers: perfect; sepals obovate, 1.5-2.5 mm long, broadly scarious-margined, the 2 outermost characteristically fused, appearing as a solitary, 2-veined, apically notched or entire sepal; midvein thin, ciliate at apex; corolla lobes spreading or reflexed, subulate to narrowly ovate, 2-2.5 mm long; stamens 4 Fruit: capsules, breaking well below middle; SEEDS 2, ellipsoid, concave, 1.5-2.5 mm long, ca 1.0 mm wide, brown, the outer surface shiny Misc: Moist soils; 950-2450 m (3200-8200 ft); May-Aug. This species may be confused with P. tweedyi and P. eriopoda vegetatively but is easily differentiated when flowers or fruits are present by the two connate sepals. The high elevation collections from Yavapai and Gila counties appear to be more densely pubscent than those collected from lower elevations. REFERENCES: Huisinga, Kristin D. and Tina J. Ayers. 1999. Plantaginaceae. Ariz. – Nev. Acad. Sci. 32(1).
