Common Plantain
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Shred the leaves of this invaluable, very common, widespread, lawn and garden "weed", and you can cure new mosquito bites by repeatedly applying the juice for 15 minutes. It also helps heal poison ivy rash and relieve virtually any skin irritation.
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Common Plantain Leaf
The oval leaf, growing close to the ground, gets its name from the word foot. It's not related to the banana-like plantain. Pen-and-ink drawing by "Wildman" |
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Young Common Plantain Basal Rosette
Oval (the related long-leaf plantain has long, narrow leaves), smooth-edged, ribbed leaves, spreading in a circle from 1 point, define this plant. You can eat the smallest leaves, which taste like wheat grass juice, in early spring, before they get tough. The flavor is mediocre. |
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Common Plantain in Flower
The green, pencil-shaped flower stalks occur from spring to fall. |
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Common Plantain Flowers
The flower stalk is covered with tiny, inconspicuous, white pollen-bearing stamens, quite beautiful under magnification. |
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Common Plantain Seed Head
The green, oblong fruits taste like inferior peanuts. When the seed head dries out, you can use the tiny black seeds inside as a source of fiber or a thickener, like psyllium seeds. |
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