Woolly-plantain is an annual weed with soft, hairy herbage. Its stems are erect, from 7.5-25 cm tall, with numerous long, thin, upright leaves clustered at the base of the plant. The 4-petaled flowers are tiny, white, and clustered in spikes from 2.5-12.5 cm long. The flowers are surrounded by woolly bracts.
Woolly-plantain is found in dry, open places in the valleys, plains, and foothills. It is common in sandy places.
A native of North America, woolly-plantain is found from southern British Columbia south to California and Texas, and east to Saskatchewan. It is an introduced weed east of its natural range, and has also been found in Chile and Argentina. In the Pacific Northwest, it is found east of the Cascades, and in the Columbia River Gorge, it is found east of Dog Mt. between the elevations of 100'-500'.
