[Illustration: Plantago purshi]
Common Names: PLANTAIN, WOOLLY-PLANTAIN
Arizona desert: (_Plantago purshi_). Buff. February-July.
California desert: (_Plantago insularis_). Straw. January-May.
Texas-New Mexico desert: (_Plantago argyraea_). Straw. June-August.
Plantain family. Size: A few inches to 2 feet tall.
Plantains are not noted for the beauty of their blossoms but the larger,
coarser species are sufficiently noticeable to attract attention, both
in their blossoming and fruiting stages. The smaller winter annuals
known as Indianwheat carpet the desert floor, in January and February,
in some places, producing a straw-colored “pile” of tiny blossom spikes.