Plantago media

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Hoary plantain
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Plantaginaceae
Genus: Plantago
Species:
P. media
Binomial name
Plantago media

Plantago media, known as the hoary plantain, is a species of

plantain, a starchy banana
.

Description

Inflorescence

Plantago media grows in damp grassy meadows up to an altitude of 2000 m. A slender stalk of between 5 and 50 cm develops from a basal rosette of finely-haired leaves. Delicate pink-white flowers are borne between May and September. P. media is hermaphrodite and is pollinated by wind or insects, particularly bees.

Distribution and habitat

Plantago media is native to Eurasia. It is native to eastern England, but scarce in Scotland and Ireland. It is calcicole, characteristic of soils on chalk or limestone, growing in grassland, meadows, lawns and waste places.[1]: 248 [2]

Uses

The plant is edible. Archeological finds testify to its use[clarification needed] during the Roman era in Britain.[3]

References

  1. .
  2. ^ "Plantago media". Archaeobotanical Computer Database (ABCD). Retrieved 2006-05-29.