Plantago arenaria

Indian plantain

Family: Plantaginaceae · Type: annual · Not Native

Indian plantain is a naturalized annual herb found in the central California Coast, San Francisco Bay, and southern California coastal areas in sandy disturbed areas at elevations below 200 meters. Flowering from July to November, this plant produces small white flowers in compact, round to elliptic spikes with corolla lobes spreading about 2 millimeters long. Growing with branched stems 2 to 6 centimeters tall, the plant has a somewhat coarse, sparse hairiness. Its cauline leaves appear clustered at nodes, thread-like or linear, measuring 2 to 4.5 centimeters in length and growing opposite along the stem. The plant produces two seeds, each approximately 2.5 millimeters long, nestled within round-ovate bracts at the tips of 3 to 7 centimeter peduncles.

Habitat: Sandy disturbed areas

Bloom period: Jul-Nov

Elevation: < 200 m

Bioregions: CCo, SnFrB, SCo

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.