Flora Pittsburghensis

Common Plantain (Plantago major)

Plantago major

The big shiny round leaves of Plantain infest many a lawn, sometimes crowding out the grass. They are edible in stews, however, which suggests a method of control: namely, to give up attempts at control and declare your Plantain-infested lawn a vegetable garden. The tiny flowers grow on a long spike shaped like a cat’s tail, with a broad ring of flowers proceeding up the spike as the bloom progresses.


Family Plantaginaceae (Plantain Family).   |   Index of Families.