''Plantago erecta'' is a flowering plant in the plantain family, commonly known as the California plantain, foothill plantain, dot-seed plantain, English plantain, and dwarf plantain. ''Plantago erecta'' is a small, unassuming annual

herb Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typically distingu ...

with needle-like leaves and translucent flowers clustered on a stalk. It grows in sandy, clay, or

serpentine soil Serpentine soil is an uncommon soil type produced by weathered ultramafic rock such as peridotite and its metamorphic derivatives such as serpentinite. More precisely, serpentine soil contains minerals of the serpentine subgroup, especially an ...

s, on grassy slopes and flats or open woodland, found in

Baja California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

and

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. ''Plantago erecta'' is a host species for the

Edith's checkerspot Edith's checkerspot (''Euphydryas editha'') is a species of butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. It is a resident species of western North America and among the subspecies, entomologists have long been intrigued by their many phenotypic variation ...

butterfly.

Distribution and habitat

''Plantago erecta'' is native to the

California Floristic Province The California Floristic Province (CFP) is a floristic province with a Mediterranean-type climate located on the Pacific Coast of North America with a distinctive flora similar to other regions with a winter rainfall and summer drought climat ...

, and is found in California, Oregon, and Baja California. It is found widely throughout California, except in the desert and northeastern portions of the state. In Baja California, ''Plantago erecta'' is found from the

Mexico–United States border The international border separating Mexico and the United States extends from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Gulf of Mexico in the east. The border traverses a variety of terrains, ranging from urban areas to deserts. It is the List of ...

south to

El Rosario ''El rosario'' is a 1944 Mexican romantic drama film directed by Juan José Ortega. The film is based on a novel by Florence L. Barclay. It stars Andrea Palma, Tomás Perrín, and Tana Devodier Tana may refer to: Places Africa * Lake Tana, a ...

and the Sierra de San Pedro Martir, but is also found in the southern part of the state in a disjunct distribution to the Sierra La Libertad. ''Plantago erecta'' is most commonly found in sandy, clay, or serpentine substrates, and usually grows on grassy slopes, flats, dunes, openings between shrubs, and open woodland. Populations of this plant are usually patchy and localized, usually with many individuals.

Ecoregions An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecology, ecological and Geography, geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of la ...

that this species is a member of include coastal sage scrub, chaparral, mountains, coastal succulent scrub, and at the southern end of its range in Baja California, desert.

References

External links

Jepson Manual treatment: ''Plantago erecta''
— '' Jepson Manual Online''
Calflora — ''Plantago erecta''
erecta Flora of California Flora of Oregon Flora of Baja California Plants described in 1900 Butterfly food plants Flora without expected TNC conservation status {{Plantaginaceae-stub