Dot-seed plantain

Plantago erecta

Plantago erecta is a small, unassuming annual herb with needle-like leaves and translucent flowers clustered on a stalk. It grows in sandy, clay, or serpentine soils, on grassy slopes and flats or open woodland, from California to Oregon. It is known variously as California Plantain, Foothill Plantain, Dot-seed Plantain, English Plantain, and Dwarf Plantain. P. erecta is a primary host plant for the Bay Checkerspot Butterfly.