Plantago patagonica

Patagonia plantain

Family: Plantaginaceae · Type: annual · Native

Patagonia plantain is a California native annual found in the Sierra Nevada Borders, Sierra Nevada Great Basin, Peninsular Ranges, and Desert bioregions on sandy, rocky, or grassy slopes in pinyon, juniper, and Joshua-tree woodlands and chaparral at elevations of 500 to 2,200 meters. Flowering from April to August, this plant produces delicate spikes of small flowers with spreading ovate lobes. Growing with linear or narrowly oblanceolate leaves 2 to 10 centimeters long, it develops slender stems with light green coloration and dense, ascending hairs. Its leaves are entire, with a uniform linear shape that dries to a light green color, featuring nearly dense hair coverage. The plant produces two seeds approximately 3 millimeters long, creating distinctive woolly spikes that are 1 to 6 centimeters in length.

Habitat: Sandy, rocky, or grassy slopes, pinyon/juniper or Joshua-tree woodland, chaparral

Bloom period: Apr-Aug

Elevation: 500-2200 m

Bioregions: SnGb, SnBr, PR, D

California counties: San Bernardino, Imperial, San Diego, Riverside, Humboldt, Los Angeles, Inyo, Lake, Kern, Ventura

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