Pale Indian Plantain is a native wildflower with striking foliage. Its natural habitat includes mesic forests, woodland edges, savannas, thickets sand dunes, stream banks, clearings, prairies, and meadows. Growing from seed will produce rosettes of the showy blue-green foliage the first year, however, young plant do not flower. The leaves have the appearance of being made of plastic. The upper surface of the leaves are medium to dark green, the underside are a lighter green to white. From the basal leaves, a central stalk with alternating leaves develops, growing to up to 9' in height. This stem ends in the form of a flat-topped panicle of flower heads. These flower heads are typically arranged in small clusters of 4 to 15 flower heads with tiny white flowers. Its flowers form in clusters that are open and branched, with heads going in all directions. Its sturdy stems can withstand the weight of its large clusters of flowers, without bending over. Fertile seed can be set by cross-pollination by insects including wasps, small bees and flies. Use in naturalized areas, rock gardens and pollinator gardens. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Its self-seeding attributes make this undesirable for smaller gardens, where it can tend to take over the landscape.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt); Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Medium
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Vase
Texture
Fine
Leaf color
White
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate; Rosulate
Leaf shape
Cordate; Deltoid; Orbicular
Leaf margin
Lobed; Serrate; Undulate
Leaf feel
Waxy
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
> 6 inches long, > 6 inches wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
The upper sides of the leaves are medium to dark green, while the undersides of the leaves and stems have a waxy, white coating. The leaves are irregular, fan-shaped, and coarsely lobed or toothed. The basal leaves are up to 8" long and 6" wide. Springtime will bring an unbranched stalk with alternate leaves of up to 8" long and 8" wide and reaching a height of up to 9' tall. The leaves become smaller as they go up the stem.
Flower color
Green; White
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Corymb; Cyme; Panicle
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Flat-top clusters of small flower heads sits at the top of the central stalk, each containing 4 to 15 white to yellowish green flowers. The flowers have five lobes, are stiff, and slender. Blooming occurs from June to October.
Bloom time
Fall; Summer
Fruit color
Brown/Copper; Purple/Lavender
Fruit type
Achene
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
The tiny, ribbed, smooth, egg-shaped fruits display from June to November.
Stem color
Green; Purple/Lavender
Stem detail
The smooth central stalk is pale green to pale purple. Fine veins can be seen along the stem. They remain unbranched below the flower clusters.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Eastern U.S.A
Distribution
AL, AR, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, VA, WI, WV
Wildlife value
Wasps, butterflies, birds, small bees, moths and flies are attracted to the flowers.