Kingdom Plantae Family Plantaginaceae Rank Species | Order Lamiales Genus Plantago | |
Similar Plantago rhodosperma, Plantago princeps, Plantago elongata, Plantago subnuda, Plantago eriopoda | ||
Plantago hookeriana is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common names Hookers plantain, tallow weed, and California plantain. It is native to Texas and Louisiana in the United States. It is not native to California.
This species is an annual herb growing from a taproot. The leaves are linear or lance-shaped and may reach 30 centimeters long, but are usually smaller. The inflorescence is a narrow spike up to 12 centimeters long. Each small flower has whitish corolla lobes with brown spots or stripes.
This species is planted to provide a forage and to revegetate wildlife habitat and rangeland. The seed provides food for many types of game birds and the foliage is consumed by several types of animals, such as deer.
The Latin specific epithet hookeriana refers to Sir Joseph D. Hooker.