Scientific Family
Plantaginaceae
Synonyms
Plantago aristata, Plantago erecta, Plantago purshii, Plantago spinulosa,Plantago picta, Plantago wyomingensis
Other common names
Indian wheat
Pursh plantain
woolly Indianwheat
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Annual
Height
2 to 10 inches
Riparian
No
Narrow leaves in a grass-like basal tuft; stems erect and leafless, terminating in a dense spike of flowers; herbage hairy throughout.
Basal leaves, spreading to nearly erect, densely hairy, less than 1/2 inch wide, narrow, tapering to a point, toothless, stalkless. Multiple flowering stems from the base. Flowers perfect (male and female). Lower bracts lance-like, longer than the sepals.
Habitat
Deserts, grasslands, interior chapparral and oak/pinon/juniper woodlands; along roads, mesas, slopes.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Disturbed Areas
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
1000
High elevation
7100
Flower Characteristics
Green and white flowers in dense cylindrical spikes up to 5 inches long at the tops of the leafless stems. Each flower is subtended by a green linear-triangular bract that is a little shorter than the flower.
Flower color
Greenish and white
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
February
Last bloom month
August
Flower clusters
Elongated
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Hairy, long, narrow basal leaves, 1 to 6 inches long with pointed tip. Leaf surfaces covered with shaggy hairs.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
Leaves & stems
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Fruits split in half to release 2 seeds.
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit color
Reddish to brownish
Brown to red-brown seeds.