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Blackseed Plantain

Plantago rugelii

Found in roadsides, lawns, disturbed areas. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

70
Strong

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

Profile 94%

Height
Up to about 20 inches
Light
Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to moist
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
May to November

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 100 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

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

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

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

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 127 animals.

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
White, green or brown

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

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Black Seed Plantain; Rugels Plantain

Conservation status

Virginia rankS5
Global rankG5
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources