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Virginia Plantain

Plantago virginica

Found in saline marshes, thin soils over rock, roadsides, lawns, disturbed areas. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Florida edition What its natural habitat tells you

69
Strong

Native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 94%

Height
3 inches–1 foot
Spread
3 inches–1 foot
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 1 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 100 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Annual or biennial
Bloom
Spring and summer

Not yet recorded · Leaves

Recorded in 64 Florida counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Salt and brackish marshes

Coastal marshes flooded by salty or brackish tides.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

48CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Plantago

  • Acronicta lanceolariaNarrow-Winged Dagger, Lanceolate Dagger
  • Anagrapha falciferaCelery Looper Moth
  • Anicla infectaGreen Cutworm Moth
  • Apantesis argeArge Tiger Moth
  • Apantesis naisNais Tiger Moth
  • Apantesis phalerataHarnessed Moth
  • Apantesis virgoVirgin Tiger Moth
  • Apantesis vittataBanded Tiger Moth
  • Chlosyne nycteisSilvery Checkerspot
  • Dypterygia rozmaniAmerican Bird's-Wing
Show all 48
  • Estigmene acreaSalt Marsh Moth, Acrea Moth
  • Euphydryas phaetonThe Baltimore, The Black Checker
  • Euptoieta claudiaVariegated Fritillary, (?)Gulf Fritillary
  • Feltia jaculiferaDingy Cutworm
  • Feltia subterraneaSubterranean Dart, Granulate Cutworm
  • Herpetogramma pertextalisBold-Feathered Grass Moth
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
  • Hyles lineataWhite-Lined Sphinx
  • Hypercompe scriboniaGiant Leopard Moth, Great Leopard Moth
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Junonia coeniaCommon Buckeye
  • Junonia neildiMangrove Buckeye
  • Junonia zonalisCaribbean Buckeye, Tropical Buckeye, Florida Buckeye, Smoky Buckeye
  • Lacinipolia renigeraBristly Ground Cat, Bristly Cutworm Moth, Kidney Spotted "Mamestra"
  • Lithophane bethuneiBethune's Pinion
  • Megalographa bilobaBilobed Looper Moth
  • Neodactria caliginosellusCorn Webworm, Corn Root Webworm, Sooty Crambus
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Orthodes cynicaCynical Quaker, Cynical Groundcat
  • Orthodes majusculaRustic Quaker, Rustic Groundcat
  • Palthis angulalisDark-Spotted Palthis
  • Phlogophora periculosaBrown Angle Shades
  • Phyciodes tharosPearl Crescent, Crescentspot
  • Pyrausta subsequalisMottled Pyrausta
  • Pyrrharctia isabellaIsabella Tiger Moth, Banded Woolybear
  • Siproeta stelenesMalachite
  • Spilosoma congruaAgreeable Tiger Moth
  • Spilosoma dubiaDubious Tiger Moth
  • Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
  • Tricholita signataSignate Quaker, Signate Groundcat
  • Trichoplusia niNi Moth, Cabbage Looper Moth
  • Trichopolia oviducaRuddy Quaker
  • Vanessa carduiPainted Lady, Cosmopolite
  • Virbia aurantiacaOrange Virbia, Orange Holomelina
  • Virbia laetaJoyful Virbia, Joyful Holomelina
  • Xestia dolosaGreater Black-Letter Dart, Greater Spotted Cutworm
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
5BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Plantago

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
9BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Plantago

  • Alectoris chukarChukar
  • Anser caerulescensSnow Goose
  • Branta canadensisCanada Goose
  • Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
  • Melozone crissalisCalifornia Towhee
  • Pipilo maculatusSpotted Towhee
  • Pooecetes gramineusVesper Sparrow
  • Spizella breweriBrewer's Sparrow
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Plantaginaceae
Hardiness
Zones 3a–9b
Flower color
Green or white

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Florida rankSNR
Global rankG5
FL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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