Pale Indian Plantain – Arnoglossum atriplicifolium – 5-Pint

Grown primarily for its architectural effect – the plant sends up a tall, slender stem arrayed with interesting foliage and topped with panicles of white flowers that are attractive to a wide variety of pollinators. The stem is often purplish in color and the flower umbels are tightly arrayed, almost like they have been wrapped together with silk from a spider creating a lair in which to reside. Pale Indian Plantain is native to woodland edges and prairies from New Jersey to Wisconsin south to Louisiana and Florida. Its stronghold is a swath from Pennsylvania to Missouri. This plant can be an aggressive spreader, both through underground rhizomes and self-sowing. “Pale” in the common name refers to the leaf undersides – they range from pale green to almost white.