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Plantago lanceolata
A very common 'weed' with up to 1 metre tall flower stems; long flat multi-veined leaves lying flat and radial.
Open fields to marginal farmland.
A very common 'weed' on cultivated land. Scarce on acidic soils. A good indicator of grazed lands. "A tea from the leaves is used as a highly effective cough medicine" - Wiki It seems some people have allergies to it also. Introduced in Australia. Other common names include ribwort plantain, English plantain, buckhorn plantain, narrowleaf plantain, ribleaf.
Spotted on Aug 2, 2012
Submitted on Nov 2, 2012
4 Comments
Thanks for that info lori.tas. Interesting stuff. I might test the leaves myself if your rabbit likes them :)
In Australia, concentrations of this plant are a good indicator high degrees of salinity in the soil. It's a good way of spotting "salt pans". It was introduced as stock forage precisely because its salt tolerance meant it could be grown in "marginal" soils. Our pet rabbit very fond of its leaves.
Thanks Despina. It would seem you have considerable botanical knowledge :)
English plantain, most likely :)