Plantago crassifolia

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Plantago crassifolia
Light:Full Sun
Moisture:Mesic
Soil pH:5.6-8.4
Self Pollinated
Height:1'
Native to:
Edible Rating:PFAF Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating:PFAF Medicinal Rating
Tea:Yes
Poisonous

Plantago crassifolia

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: We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native habitat it should succeed outdoors in most parts of the country. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus.

Succeeds in any moderately fertile soil in a sunny position[1].

Range: S. Europe.

Habitat: Salty or brackish waste places in Greece[2].

Edibility: Young leaves - raw or cooked. A famine food, it is only used when all else fails[2].

Medicinal: Plantain seeds contain up to 30% mucilage which swells up in the gut, acting as a bulk laxative and soothing irritated membranes[3]. Sometimes the seed husks are used without the seeds[3].

Pollinators: Wind

Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.

Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.

Flower Type: Hermaphrodite

Links

References

  1. Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Niebuhr, Alta. Herbs of Greece. Herb Society of America, 1970.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.