Plantago pusilla

Dwarf plantain

Family: Plantaginaceae · Type: annual · Not Native

Dwarf plantain is a naturalized annual found in southern coastal California, specifically in San Joaquin Valley and San Diego County, growing on sandy substrates at elevations below 100 meters. Flowering from April to May, this plant produces small, inconspicuous flowers with erect corolla lobes less than half a millimeter long. Growing with thread-like leaves up to 10 centimeters long, it forms slender spikes 2 to 19 centimeters tall with a loose flowering axis where individual flowers are visibly spaced. Its leaves are extremely narrow and generally entire, appearing almost grass-like in texture. The plant produces up to four small seeds measuring 0.7 to 1.8 millimeters in length.

Habitat: Sandy substrates

Bloom period: Apr-May

Elevation: < 100 m

Bioregions: SnJV, SCo (San Diego Co.)

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