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Plantago princeps
Also called Kuahiwi Laukahi
Ale is a rare Hawaiian endemic in the plantain family, a large perennial herb or shrub that is federally listed as endangered. It is not a common garden plant, and cultivation is mainly for conservation.
Plantago princeps is a rare species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common name ale. It is endemic to Hawaii, where it is known from the islands of Hawaii, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, and Maui. Like other Hawaiian Plantago, it is known as kuahiwi laukahi, or laukahi kuahiwi. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.
This is a large perennial herb or a shrub. The hairy leaves are up to 30 centimeters long by 5 wide and are borne on winged petioles. The inflorescence is a spike of flowers on an erect scape. The tiny flowers are a few millimeters wide. Although the taxonomy is not certain, most authors divide the species into four varieties: var. anomala, var. laxifolia, var. longibracteata, and var. princeps.
Glandular Plantain · Plantago albicans · Alpine Plantain · Plantago altissima · Plantain · Largebracted plantain · Chinese Plantain · Plantago aucklandica · Plantago bellardi · Plantago brownii · Heartleaf plantain · Plantago cornuti
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Plantago princeps by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
