Plantaginaceae

Plantago patagonica

Woolly Plantain

Tuft of velvety leaves, erect flower stems. Plant densely hairy. Linear leaves 1–4 in. long, entire. Few to many flower stems carry nearly cylindrical woolly spikes well above leaves. Linear bract about 2 times as long as calyx, oval white petals with pointed tips are widely spreading. Grows in grassy, sandy, or rocky places. Two other plantains with upright hairy leaves: P. erecta, often with a few teeth on 1–5 in. linear leaves, 1 1/2 in. hairy flower spike, growing on dry grassy clay or sandy soils, often on serpentine rock, at low elevations; P. coronopus, with pinnately divided leaves, tips pointed, 1 or more dense flower spikes nodding in bud and then becoming erect, found on coastal bluffs, marshes, grassy areas at low elevations.

• Rarity: Locally Common
• Flowering Time: All Spring And Summer
• Life Cycle: Annual
• Height: 2--8 inches
• Habitat: Shrub-Steppe
• Found In: Great Basin, East Gorge, N Cascades Np
• Native: Yes