California Plantain (Plantago erecta)

Plantago erecta is a small, unassuming annual herb with needle-like leaves and translucent flowers clustered on a stalk. It grows in sandy, clay, or serpentine soils, on grassy slopes and flats or open woodland, from California to Oregon. It is known variously as California Plantain, Foothill Plantain, Dot-seed Plantain, English Plantain, and Dwarf Plantain. P. erecta is a primary host plant for the Bay Checkerspot Butterfly. Description from Calscape.

Grower: Heritage Growers

Other Names Used: California Plantain, Foothill Plantain, Dot-seed Plantain, English Plantain, and Dwarf Plantain

Family: Plantaginaceae

Life Cycle: Annual

Plant Type: Herb

Sun Exposure: Full, Partial

Bloom Period: Spring (March to April)

Bloom Color(s): White, Brown

Plant Height: 2-10 inches tall

Plant Width: 2-3 inches wide

California Regions:

• San Francisco Bay Area
• North Coast
• Central Valley
• Sierra Foothills
  
• Central California Coast
• Southern Coast
• Southern California Inland
  

Ecological Benefits:

• Fire Safe
• Deer Resistant
  
• Attracts pollinators, bats
  

Ecological Functions:

• Grows in Containers
• Groundcover

Habitat Type:

• Chaparral
• Coastal Sage Scrub
• Foothill Woodland 
  

Human Uses/Cautions: 

Skill Level: Beginner

Seed Pretreatment: None