Plantago rigida is a common plant of the páramo, an ecosystem that is found above the treeline in the Andes Mountains. Similar to an alpine tundra, the páramo is composed of small shrubs, grasses, and mosses, along with a wide variety of wildflowers. Delicate rosette plants and flowers, ranging in size from miniscule to a foot across, dot the hillsides of the volcanic landscapes of the high Andes.