Narrowleaf plantain (Plantago lanceolata)

Synonyms: Plantago altissima, Plantago lanceolata var. sphaerostachya

Common Names: English plantain, narrow-leaved plantain, buckhorn plantain, lanceleaf plantain, ribgrass, ribwort

Description: Used frequently as a medicinal plant. This species is listed under Regulation No. 715 - Seed Law Implementation as a restricted noxious weed by the Michigan Department of Agriculture.

Habit: Rosette forming perennial.

Leaves: Originating from a basal rosette. Cotyledons are narrow and grasslike. Leaves narrow, linear and elongated, parallel veins and smooth margins. Long hairs may be present at leaf base.

Stems: Semi-woody taproot. No visible above ground stems.

Flowers: Long, leafless stalks of dense, cylinder-shaped flower spikes, inconspicuous.

Fruit and seeds: 2, narrowly oval, brown to black in color, shiny, indented on one side.

Habitat: Native to Europe, North Africa and West and South Asia. Can be found in roadsides, pastures, fields, dry meadows, wet areas, and disturbed sites.

Reproduction: By seed and vegetatively by basal shoots.

Similar species: Common plantain (Plantago major)

Monitoring and rapid response: Hand pulling, grazing or mowing can help reduce growth. Glyphosate can be applied twice a year over several years for complete control.

Credits: The information provided in this factsheet was gathered from CABI: Invasive Species Compendium and the Michigan State University Plant & Pest Diagnostic Center.

Individual species images that appear with a number in a black box are courtesy of the Bugwood.org network (http://www.invasive.org).Individual photo author credits may not be included due to the small display size of the images and subsequent difficulty of reading the provided text. All other images appear courtesy of Google (http://images.google.com).

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