Plant · P-302

Narrowleaf Plantain

Plantago lanceolata

Narrowleaf Plantain is a nutrient-dense forage plant, especially rich in copper, calcium and selenium, that earns its keep as part of a mixed pasture sward alongside grasses and legumes rather than as a stand-alone crop. It has a genuine anthelmintic effect against gut parasites in grazing livestock, though a milder one than chicory, so treat any worming benefit as a bonus rather than the reason to plant it. Unlike its broader-leaved relative, it grows as an upright, narrow-leaved tuft rather than a spreading ground cover, and while it tolerates drought and summer heat well, it cannot handle saline ground.