Plantago

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Asterids
Cladus: Lamiids
Ordo: Lamiales

Familia: Plantaginaceae
Tribus: Plantagineae
Genus: Plantago
Subgenera: P. subg. Bougueria – P. subg. Coronopus – P. subg. Plantago – P. subg. Psyllium

Overview of species

P. afra – P. africana – P. akkensis – P. albicans – P. algarbiensis – P. alismatifolia – P. alopecurus – P. alpestris – P. alpina – P. altissima – P. amplexicaulis – P. anatolica – P. annua – P. antarctica – P. arachnoidea – P. arborescens – P. arenaria – P. argentea – P. argentina – P. argyrea – P. aristata – P. asiatica – P. asphodeloides – P. atlantica – P. atrata – P. aucklandica – P. aundensis – P. australis – P. baltistanica – P. barbata – P. bellardii – P. bellidioides – P. benisnassenii – P. berroi – P. bismarckii – P. boissieri – P. bradei – P. brasiliensis – P. buchtienii – P. cafra – P. camtschatica – P. canescens – P. caricina – P. carnosa – P. catharinea – P. cavaleriei – P. ciliata – P. cladarophylla – P. commersoniana – P. cordata – P. cornuti – P. coronopus – P. corvensis – P. crassifolia – P. cretica – P. crypsoides – P. cunninghamii – P. cylindrica – P. cyrenaica – P. dardanae – P. debilis – P. densa – P. depauperata – P. depressa – P. dielsiana – P. drummondii – P. elongata – P. erecta – P. eriopoda – P. euana – P. euphratica – P. euryphylla – P. evacina – P. exigua – P. exilis – P. famarae – P. fengdouensis – P. fernandezia – P. firma – P. fischeri – P. floccosa – P. galapagensis – P. gaudichaudii – P. gentianoides – P. glabrata – P. glacialis – P. goudotiana – P. grandiflora – P. griffithii – P. guilleminiana – P. gunnii – P. hasskarlii – P. hatschbachiana – P. hawaiensis – P. hedleyi – P. helleri – P. heterophylla – P. himalaica – P. hispida – P. hispidula – P. hookeriana – P. humboldtiana – P. incisa – P. indica – P. johnstonii – P. jujuyensis – P. jurtzevii – P. komarovii – P. krascheninnikovii – P. lachnantha – P. lagocephala – P. lagopus – P. lamprophylla – P. lanceolata – P. lanigera – P. laxiflora – P. leucophylla – P. libyca – P. limensis – P. linearis – P. litorea – P. loeflingii – P. longissima – P. lundborgii – P. macrocarpa – P. maireana – P. major – P. malato-belizii – P. maris-mortui – P. maritima – P. mauritanica – P. maxima – P. media – P. minuta – P. mohnikei – P. monanthos – P. monosperma – P. monticola – P. montisdicksonii – P. moorei – P. muelleri – P. multiscapa – P. myosuros – P. napiformis – P. nebularis – P. nivalis –. P. nivea – P. notata – P. novae-zelandiae – P. nubicola – P. obconica – P. orbignyana – P. orzuiensis – P. ovata – P. pachyneura – P. pachyphylla – P. palmata – P. palustris – P. papuana – P. paradoxa – P. patagonica – P. peloritana – P. penantha – P. pentasperma – P. perssonii – P. phaeostoma – P. picta – P. pilgeriana – P. podlechii – P. polita – P. polysperma – P. popovii – P. pretoana – P. princeps – P. psammophila – P. pusilla – P. pyrophila – P. rahniana – P. rancaguae – P. raoulii – P. rapensis – P. remota – P. reniformis – P. rhizoxylon – P. rhodosperma – P. rigida – P. robusta – P. rugelii – P. rupicola – P. sabulosa – P. salsa – P. schwarzenbergiana – P. sempervirens – P. sempervivoides – P. sericea – P. serraria – P. sharifii – P. sinaica – P. sparsiflora – P. spathulata – P. squarrosa – P. stauntonii – P. stenophylla – P. stocksii – P. stricta – P. strictissima – P. subnuda – P. subspathulata – P. subulata –. P. tacnensis – P. tanalensis – P. tandilensis – P. tasmanica – P. tatarica – P. tehuelcha – P. tenuiflora – P. tenuipala – P. tolucensis – P. tomentosa – P. triandra – P. triantha – P. trichophora – P. trinitatis – P. truncata – P. tubulosa – P. tunetana – P. turficola – P. turrifera – P. tweedyi – P. udicola – P. unibracteata – P. urvillei – P. varia – P. veadeirensis – P. ventanensis – P. venturii – P. virginica – P. webbii – P. weddelliana – P. weldenii – P. wrightiana – P. zoellneriana

Nothospecies: P. × mixta – P. × moravica
Name

Plantago L., 1753

Typus: P. major
L.
Lectotypus vide: N.L.Britton & A.Brown, Ill. Fl. N. U. S. ed. 2. 3: 245. 1913.
Synonyms

Heterotypic
Arnoglossum Gray, Nat. Arr. Brit. Pl. ii. 292. 1821, nom. illeg. non Raf. (1817)
Bougueria Decne., Ann Soc. Nat. (2. ser.) 5: 132. 1836
Psyllium Mill., Gard. Dict. Abr. ed. 4. 1754
Psyllium Juss., General Pl. 89. 1789, nom. illeg. non Mill. (1754)

References

Linnaeus, C. 1753. Species Plantarum 1: 112.
Hassler, M. 2017. Plantago. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2017. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2017 Apr. 26. Reference page.
Rønsted, N. & al. 2002 Phylogenetic relationships within Plantago (Plantaginaceae): evidence from nuclear ribosomal ITS and plastid trnL-F sequence data. Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 139, 323–338. DOI: 10.1046/j.1095-8339.2002.00070.x
Doweld, A.B. & Shipunov, A.B. 2017. (2497) Proposal to reject the name Plantago indica (Plantaginaceae). Taxon 66(1): 205-206. DOI: 10.12705/661.25 Reference page.

Vernacular names
العربية: لسان الحمل
azərbaycanca: Bağayarpağı
žemaitėška: Trauklapis
башҡортса: Юл япрағы
беларуская: Трыпутнік
български: Живовляк
bosanski: Bokvica
буряад: Дэгдэ
čeština: Jitrocel
dansk: Vejbred
Deutsch: Wegeriche
English: Plantain
eesti: Teeleht
euskara: Plantain
فارسی: بارهنگ
suomi: Ratamot
français: plantain
עברית: לחך
hrvatski: Trputac
hornjoserbsce: Putnik
magyar: Útifű
հայերեն: Եզան լեզու
italiano: Plantagine
日本語: 大葉子属, オオバコ属
ქართული: მრავალძარღვა
қазақша: Бақажапырақ
Кыргызча: Бака жалбырак
lietuvių: Gyslotis
македонски: Тегавец
Nederlands: Weegbree
norsk nynorsk: Kjempeslekta
occitan: Plantatge
Ирон: Дугъысыф
polski: Babka
Runa Simi: Llantan
română: Pătlagină
русский: Подорожник
саха тыла: Бохсурҕан
slovenčina: Skorocel
slovenščina: Trpotec
српски / srpski: Боквица
svenska: Grobladssläktet
Türkçe: Sinirli ot, Sinir otu
українська: Подорожник
oʻzbekcha/ўзбекча: Zubturum
Tiếng Việt: Chi Mã đề
中文: 车前属

Plantago is a genus of about 200 species of flowering plants in the family Plantaginaceae, commonly called plantains or fleaworts. The common name plantain is shared with the unrelated cooking plantain. Most are herbaceous plants, though a few are subshrubs growing to 60 cm (24 in) tall.

Description

The leaves are sessile or have a poorly-defined petiole.[2]: 632  They have three or five parallel veins that diverge in the wider part of the leaf. Leaves are broad or narrow, depending on the species. The inflorescences are borne on stalks typically 5–40 cm (2.0–15.7 in) tall, and can be a short cone or a long spike, with numerous tiny wind-pollinated flowers.
Distribution

They are found all over the world, including the Americas, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Africa and Europe. Many species in the genus are cosmopolitan weeds. They are found in many different habitats, most commonly in wet areas like seepages or bogs. They can also be found in alpine and semi-alpine or coastal areas. The cosmopolitan weeds can be frequently seen at the side of roads.
Species

The boundaries of the genus Plantago have been fairly stable, with the main question being whether to include Bougueria (one species from the Andes) and Littorella (2–3 species of aquatic plants).[3]

There are about 200 species of Plantago, including:

Plantago afra
Plantago africana
Plantago aitchisonii
Plantago alpina
Plantago amplexicaulis
Plantago arborescens
Plantago arenaria—Branched plantain
Plantago argentea
Plantago aristata—Bracted plantain, largebracted plantain
Plantago asiatica—Chinese plantain, obako, arnoglossa
Plantago aucklandica
Plantago bigelovii
Plantago canescens
Plantago coreana
Plantago cordata—Heartleaf plantain
Plantago coronopus—Buckshorn plantain
Plantago cornuti
Plantago cretica
Plantago cynops
Plantago debilis—Shade plantain, weak plantain
Plantago elongata—Prairie plantain, slender plantain
Plantago erecta—California plantain, foothill plantain, dot-seed plantain, English plantain, dwarf plantain
Plantago eriopoda—Redwool plantain
Plantago erosa
Plantago fernandezia
Plantago fischeri
Plantago gentianoides
Plantago glabrifolia
Plantago grayana
Plantago hawaiensis—Hawaiian plantain
Plantago hedleyi
Plantago helleri—Heller's plantain
Plantago heterophylla
Plantago hillebrandii
Plantago himalaica
Plantago holosteum
Plantago hookeriana—Hookers plantain, tallow weed, California plantain
Plantago incisa
Plantago indica
Plantago krajinai
Plantago lanceolata—Ribwort plantain
Plantago lanigera
Plantago leiopetala—Madeira plantain
Plantago longissima
Plantago macrocarpa
Plantago major—Greater plantain, common plantain
Plantago maritima—Sea plantain
Plantago maxima
Plantago media—Hoary plantain
Plantago melanochrous
Plantago moorei—Moore's plantain
Plantago musicola
Plantago nivalis
Plantago nubicola (also known as Bougueria nubicola)
Plantago obconica
Plantago ovata—Indian wheat, blond psyllium
Plantago pachyphylla
Plantago palmata
Plantago patagonica—Woolly plantain
Plantago polysperma
Plantago princeps
Plantago purshii—Woolly plantain
Plantago pusilla
Plantago psyllium—Sand plantain, French or dark psyllium
Plantago raoulii
Plantago rapensis
Plantago remota
Plantago reniformis
Plantago rhodosperma—Redseed plantain, redseed indianwheat
Plantago rigida
Plantago robusta
Plantago rugelii—Blackseed plantain
Plantago rupicola
Plantago schneideri
Plantago sempervirens
Plantago sparsiflora
Plantago spathulata
Plantago subnuda—Tall coastal plantain
Plantago tanalensis
Plantago taqueti
Plantago tenuiflora
Plantago triandra
Plantago triantha
Plantago tweedyi
Plantago virginica—Virginia plantain, paleseed plantain
Plantago winteri
Plantago wrightiana—Wright's plantain

The genus name Plantago descends from the classical Latin name plantago, which in classical Latin meant some Plantago species, including Plantago major and Plantago media. In Latin the name was formed from the classical Latin word planta = "sole of the foot". The name was so formed in Latin because the leaves of these species grow out near flat at ground level. The suffix -ago in Latin means "a sort of".[4]
Ecology

Plantains are used as food plants by the larvae of some species of Lepidoptera (butterfly and moth)—see list of Lepidoptera that feed on plantains.
Uses

Plantago species have been used since prehistoric times as herbal remedies. The herb is astringent, anti-toxic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-histamine, as well as demulcent, expectorant, styptic and diuretic.[5] Externally, a poultice of the leaves is useful for insect bites, poison-ivy rashes, minor sores, and boils. In folklore it is even claimed to be able to cure snakebite and was used by the Dakota Indian tribe of North America for this.[6] Internally, it is used for coughs and bronchitis, as a tea,[7] tincture, or syrup. The broad-leaved varieties are sometimes used as a leaf vegetable for salads, green sauce, and so on.[8]: 108–109 

Plantain seed husks expand and become mucilaginous when wet, especially those of P. psyllium, which is used in common over-the-counter bulk laxative and fiber supplement products such as Metamucil. P. psyllium seed is useful for constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, dietary fiber supplementation, and diverticular disease. Plantain has been consumed as human food since prehistory. For example, archaeological recovery along California's Central Coast has demonstrated use of this species as a food since the Millingstone Horizon.[9] In particular, tender young plantain leaves can be eaten raw, and older leaves can be cooked. The seeds can be cooked like rice.[10]

Psyllium supplements are typically used in powder form, along with adequate amounts of fluids. A dose of at least 7 grams daily taken with adequate amounts of fluid (water, juice) is used by some for management of elevated cholesterol. There are a number of psyllium products used for constipation. The usual dose is about 3.5 grams twice a day. Psyllium is also a component of several ready-to-eat cereals.

Mucilage from desert indianwheat (Plantago ovata) is obtained by grinding off the husk. This mucilage, also known as psyllium, is commonly sold as Isabgol, a laxative which is used to control irregular bowel syndrome and constipation.[11] It has been used as an indigenous Ayurvedic and Unani medicine for a whole range of bowel problems.

As Old English Wegbrade the plantago is one of the nine plants invoked in the pagan Anglo-Saxon Nine Herbs Charm, recorded in the 10th century. In Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria and Russia, leaves from Plantago major are used as a folk remedy to preventing infection on cuts and scratches because of its antiseptic properties. In Slovenia and other Central European regions, the leaves were traditionally used topically as a cure for blisters resulting from friction (such as caused by tight shoes etc.).

There may also be a use for plantains in the abatement of enteric methane from ruminants,[12] as the natural compounds present (e.g. condensed tannins; ~14 g/kg DM), affect the acetate-propionate ratio in the rumen, which is a primary mechanism by which methanogenesis is restricted.[13] Currently this is not a viable option in any significant scale due to agronomic difficulties.

References

"Genus: Plantago L." Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2006-04-20. Archived from the original on 2009-01-15. Retrieved 2011-03-04.
Stace, C. A. (2019). New Flora of the British Isles (Fourth ed.). Middlewood Green, Suffolk, U.K.: C & M Floristics. ISBN 978-1-5272-2630-2.
Albach, D. C., Meudt, H. M. & Oxelman, B. 2005. Piecing together the "new" Plantaginaceae. American Journal of Botany 92: 297–315.
"Plantago" in The Names of Plants, by David Gledhill, year 2008. Compare the definitions of "planta", "plantago" and "plantarium" in Lewis and Short's Latin-English Dictionary. See "planta" at Latin-Dictionary.net.
Samuelsen, Anne Berit (July 2000). "The traditional uses, chemical constituents and biological activities of Plantago major L. A review". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 77 (1–2): 1–21. doi:10.1016/S0378-8741(00)00212-9. ISSN 0378-8741. PMC 7142308. PMID 10904143.
Journal of the American Medical Association. 1. 1883. p. 118.
Angier, Bradford (1974). Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants. Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Books. p. 168. ISBN 0-8117-0616-8. OCLC 799792.
Renton, Marlow; Biggane, Eric (2020). Foraging Pocket Guide (2020 ed.). Wild Food UK. ISBN 978-1-9999222-2-1.
C. Michael Hogan (2008). Morro Creek, ed. by A. Burnham.
Nyerges, Christopher (2016). Foraging Wild Edible Plants of North America: More than 150 Delicious Recipes Using Nature's Edibles. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 142. ISBN 978-1-4930-1499-6.
Sangwan et al. (2011). Mucilages and their Pharmaceutical Applications: an Overview. Pharmacology Online 2: 1265–1271.
Ramírez-Restrepo, C. and T. Barry (2005). "Alternative temperate forages containing secondary compounds for improving sustainable productivity in grazing ruminants", Animal Feed Science and Technology, 120(3-4), 179–201.
Lourenço, M., G. Van Ranst, B. Vlaeminck, S. De Smet, and V. Fievez (2008). "Influence of different dietary forages on the fatty acid composition of rumen digesta as well as ruminant meat and milk", Animal Feed Science and Technology, 145(1-4), 418–437.