Plantago aristata

Bristly plantain

Family: Plantaginaceae · Type: annual · Not Native

Bristly plantain is a naturalized annual found in coastal regions, Central Valley, southern coastal areas, and potentially other locations in disturbed areas at elevations below 200 meters. Flowering from June to July, this plant produces inconspicuous green flowers in elongated spikes 9 to 35 centimeters long. Growing with slender, upright stems, it reaches heights of 5 to 15 centimeters with linear leaves that dry to a dark green color. Its leaves are long and narrow, extending 5 to 15 centimeters with entire margins and sparse to moderate hair coverage. Each spike contains multiple small flowers with round-ovate corolla lobes approximately 1.5 to 2.3 millimeters long.

Habitat: Disturbed areas

Bloom period: Jun-Jul

Elevation: < 200 m

Bioregions: NCo, GV, SCo, expected elsewhere

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