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Plant · P-301
Broadleaf Plantain
Plantago major
Broadleaf Plantain is the medicine-chest weed of the compacted path and driveway edge - crushed leaves are a classic first-aid poultice for wounds and skin inflammation, and the leaf, root and seed all have documented internal uses for digestion and respiratory complaints. It doubles as ground cover and erosion control on bare disturbed ground, and its inconspicuous wind-pollinated flower spike feeds butterfly caterpillars rather than bees. It sets seed on a mucilaginous spike that hitchhikes on boots, tires and animal feet, so it spreads and establishes on its own wherever ground gets compacted.
Record at a glance
Growing profile
- Sun
- Full Sun · Partial Sun
- USDA zone
- USDA 3–12
- Soil
- Sand · Silt · Loam · Clay
- Moisture
- Well-Drained · Wet
Vertical layer
Herbaceous- Soil pH
- 6–7.5
- Plant type
- Perennial
- Mature height
- 6–12 in
- Mature spread
- 4–20 in
- Plant spacing
- 8–12 in
- Root type
- Fibrous-shallow
- Spread pattern
- Seed
Keep exploring
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Aloe Vera
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Alsike Clover
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The deeper layer
Plan what comes next.
- Primary
- Locked ecological function
- Secondary
- Locked ecological function
- Byproduct
- Locked ecological function
Behind the record
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