Plantago affra
| Plantago affra | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 2' |
| Width: | 0.5' |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Plantago affra (common name: psyllium)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in early summer
A sowing can be made outdoors in situ in mid to late spring if you have enough seeds.
Cultivation: Succeeds in any moderately fertile soil in a sunny position[1].
This species is closely related to P. arenaria[1].
Range: S. Europe - Mediterranean.
Habitat: Dry places in S. Europe[2].
Edibility: Young leaves - raw or cooked[3].
Medicinal: Plantain seeds contain up to 30% mucilage which swells up in the gut, acting as a bulk laxative and soothing irritated membranes[4]. Sometimes the seed husks are used without the seeds[4].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Late Spring-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: P. afrum. (L.)Mirb. P. psyllium. L. (1762, non 1753).
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Tutin, Tom et al.. Flora Europaea. Cambridge University Press, 1964.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.