Heartleaf Plantain

Plantago cordata

Found in aquatic or semi-aquatic in streambeds with outcrops of slate, limestone, or calcareous clay, and aquatic in tidal estuaries. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

Strong

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

Profile 94%

Height: Up to about 1 foot
Light: Partial shade, Full shade, Full sun
Soil moisture: Moist to standing water

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Plantago cordata — whole photograph — Steve Olson. USDA SCS. 1989. Midwest wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide to plant species. Midwest National Technical Center, Lincoln. Courtesy of USDA NRCS Wetland Science Institute. · Public domain · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial
Bloom: March to May
Fruiting season: May to July

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Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 2 Virginia counties and cities.

Natural habitats

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

1 of 2

Limestone cedar glade. Shown: Pennyroyal Plain, Simpson County, Kentucky, a neighboring state.Cedar glade in the Pennyroyal Plain, Simpson County, Mason Brock (Masebrock), undated. Public domain. Source record.

Sounds, bays and tidal flats

Salt and brackish open water of sounds, bays and estuaries, with the mud and sand flats and seagrass beds that tides cover and uncover; the vegetated marsh is salt and brackish marshes.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 118 animals.

Sora
Porzana carolina
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Spotted Sandpiper
Actitis macularius
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Swainson's Warbler
Limnothlypis swainsonii
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Tree Swallow
Tachycineta bicolor
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Tufted Titmouse
Baeolophus bicolor
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Veery
Catharus fuscescens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
White-breasted Nuthatch
Sitta carolinensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
White-eyed Vireo
Vireo griseus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
White-throated Sparrow
Zonotrichia albicollis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Wild Turkey
Meleagris gallopavo
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Willow Flycatcher
Empidonax traillii
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Wilson's Snipe
Gallinago delicata
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Wood Duck
Aix sponsa
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Wood Thrush
Hylocichla mustelina
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Worm-eating Warbler
Helmitheros vermivorum
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Sphyrapicus varius
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Coccyzus americanus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Yellow-breasted Chat
Icteria virens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Yellow-crowned Night-heron
Nyctanassa violacea
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Dendroica coronata
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Yellow-throated Warbler
Dendroica dominica
Birds. 1 shared habitat

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

62CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Plantago

Anagrapha falciferaCelery Looper Moth
Anicla infectaGreen Cutworm Moth
Apantesis annaAnna Tiger Moth
Apantesis argeArge Tiger Moth
Apantesis figurataFigured Tiger Moth
Apantesis naisNais Tiger Moth
Apantesis partheniceParthenice Tiger Moth
Apantesis phalerataHarnessed Moth
Apantesis virgoVirgin Tiger Moth
Apantesis virgunculaLittle Tiger Moth

Show all 62

Apantesis vittataBanded Tiger Moth
Autographa precationisCommon Looper Moth
Chlosyne nycteisSilvery Checkerspot
Dypterygia rozmaniAmerican Bird's-Wing
Dysstroma truncataMarbled Carpet
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
Hyppa xylinoidesCommon Hyppa
Junonia coeniaCommon Buckeye
Lacinipolia olivaceaOlive Arches, Olive Groundcat
Lacinipolia renigeraBristly Ground Cat, Bristly Cutworm Moth, Kidney Spotted "Mamestra"
Lithophane bethuneiBethune's Pinion
Megalographa bilobaBilobed Looper Moth
Melanchra adjunctaHitched Arches
Melanchra pictaPainted Arches, Zebra Caterpillar 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
Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
Phlogophora periculosaBrown Angle Shades
Phyciodes tharosPearl Crescent, Crescentspot
Pseudorthodes vecorsSmall Brown Quaker, Small Brown Groundcat
Pyrausta subsequalisMottled Pyrausta
Pyrrharctia isabellaIsabella Tiger Moth, Banded Woolybear
Spaelotis clandestinaClandestine Dart, W-Marked Cutworm
Spilosoma congruaAgreeable Tiger Moth
Spilosoma dubiaDubious Tiger Moth
Spilosoma latipennisPink-Legged Tiger Moth
Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
Spiramater lutraDarling Mamestra, Splashed Arches, Otter Spiramater, Otter Arches
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 c-nigrumSpotted Cut-Worm, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Lesser Black-letter Dart
Xestia dolosaGreater Black-Letter Dart, Greater Spotted Cutworm
Xestia normanianusNorman's Dart
Herpetogramma aquilonalis

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
Flower color: Green or brown
Fruit begins: May
Fruit ends: July

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

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “March to May” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Green or brown” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Fruit begins · “May” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Fruit ends · “July” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Height · “Up to about 1 foot” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Life cycle · “Perennial” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Light · “Partial shade; Full shade; Full sun (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Soil · “Moist; Water; Wet (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia

Also known as

Heart Leaf Plantain

Conservation status

Virginia rank	SH
Global rank	G4
VA status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Heartleaf Plantain

At a glance

Natural habitats

Also found with this plant

Who uses this plant?

Plant details

Conservation status

Will it fit your yard?

Sources

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