Plantago major L.
Family
Plantaginaceae
Synonyms
None
Vernacular Names
|
Malaysia |
Ekor anjing (General). |
|
English |
Great plantain, waybread, nipple grass. |
|
Indonesia |
Daun sendok, daun urat (General), ki urat (Sundanese). |
|
Philippines |
Lanting, lantin, lanting haba (Tagalog), llantin (Spanish). |
|
French |
Grand plantain, plantain majeur. |
Geographical Distributions
Plantago major is cosmopolitan; in the tropics, it is most common in mountainous regions.
Description
Plantago major is a small perennial herb which can grow up to 30(-70) cm tall, with numerous fibrous and whitish roots.
The leaves are in one or few rosettes, ovate to elliptical, measuring (1.5-)5-30(-40) cm x (0.5-)3-10(-15) cm, entire or irregularly dentate and hairless or nearly so. The spike is 5-20(- 35) cm long and densely to rather laxly flowered. The ovate bracts are 1-2 mm long.
The fruit is 2-4 mm long and (4-)6-34-seeded. The seeds are ellipsoidal or ellipsoidal-trigonous. They are 1-1.5 mm long and dark brown to dull black.
Ecology / Cultivation
Plantago major is a variable species in which several subspecies and varieties have been described. However, the different types are often connected by a series of intermediates. It is common in open grasslands and along roads, particularly on more fertile and compact soils, from sea level (but usually above 700 m) up to 3300 m altitude.
Line Drawing / Photograph
Read More
1) Western Herb
2) South Central America Herbs
References
1. Plant Resources of South-East Asia No.12(1): Medicinal and poisonous plants 1.
