Plantago ovata var. insularis

Desert plantain

Family: Plantaginaceae · Type: annual · Native

Desert plantain is a California native annual found in southern California's coastal regions and Channel Islands in coastal-sage scrub and coastal strand habitats at elevations below 300 meters. Flowering from February to April, this plant produces white to cream-colored flowers with distinctive red-brown midribs on the corolla lobes. Growing as a low, delicate annual with slender stems, it forms compact clusters in open coastal environments. Its leaves are narrow and elongated, arranged in a basal rosette, typically pale green and slightly fuzzy. The plant's inflorescence features bracts with prominent brown midribs, creating a subtle textural contrast in its delicate floral structure.

Habitat: Coastal-sage scrub, coastal strand, hilltops, basins

Bloom period: Feb-Apr

Elevation: < 300 m

Bioregions: SCo, ChI

California counties: San Diego, Ventura, Orange, Los Angeles, Inyo, Santa Barbara, Imperial, San Luis Obispo, San Bernardino, Riverside, Kern, San Benito

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