Leaf
Ryan Hodnett, Wikimedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Greater plantain
Plantago major L.
Also known as: Broadleaf plantain, Waybread
Family: Plantaginaceae
10 to 40 cm
Trampled lawns, paths, waste ground
Flowering: June – October
Full sun
Part shade
Shade
Very hardy, to -20°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Very pronounced parallel veins that resist when the leaf is torn across.
🍃 Leaves
In a rosette at ground level, broad, oval, with well-marked parallel veins
🌸 Flowers
Tiny, greenish, in a long, narrow, upright spike
🍎 Fruits
Small capsule with many seeds
🪵 Bark
Herbaceous rosette plant, without a leafy stem
🗺️ Distribution
Cosmopolitan, native to Eurasia; very common in France in lawns and trampled paths
🐝 Value for pollinators
Mainly wind-pollinated, flower spikes sometimes visited by small insects
✂️ Horticultural uses
Regarded as a lawn weed, with no ornamental use, sometimes used in herbal medicine
⚠️ Possible toxicity
No known toxicity
🌿 Other Plantaginaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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