Plantains

We have six species of plantain in Britain, and by plantain I am not referring to the exotic plantain of the ethnic greengrocers. (These are hybrid bananas, a cross between Musa acuminata and M. balbisiana, both from south-east Asia.)


No, the plantains I refer to are much more mundane, often growing in garden lawns, neglected borders and waste ground. In short they are abundant. They are inedible unless you are some kind of farm livestock. I referred to them as mundane, but one species, the Hoary Plantain, Plantago media, otherwise known as the Rose Plantain, is most attractive and would not look out of place in a rock garden.

Fragrant and with pink stamens, Hoary Plantain

is a rather attractive plant.

It is not infrequent but having said that I have not seen a specimen for several years. For some reason it seems to occur particularly in churchyards. It is fragrant and, unusually for a plantain, is insect pollinated.

The species which caught my attention earlier today was the Ribwort Plantain, Plantago lanceolata. It is growing in my neighbour's garden and I was delighted to see it (always providing that it doesn't get into our plot).

Ribwort plantain is a rather weedy plant. Trinity Close, Daventry.

3 June, 2020

It is, frankly, a rather weedy plant and even John Clare, who gives so many common plants some sort of mention, makes no reference to it but the flower heads, in the form of short spikes, are attractive in close-up. The leaves are deeply veined and appear to be the origin of the term 'ribwort'.

The flower heads are rather attractive. An old Northamptonshire name for
the plant was Chimney Sweep. Christchurch Drive, Daventry. 3 June, 2020

Unlike the Hoary Plantain, the other species are wind-pollinated although I have seen hoverflies (Platycheirus and Melanostoma species) visiting the flowers for their pollen.

The leaves are readily accepted by livestock and historically the species was used to prevent soil erosion, especially on overgrazed hillsides in Wales and the fact that animals would then eat it was a bonus. (Harley, 2016)

As children we would play games with Ribwort Plantain. It involved winding the stem once around itself so that it formed a noose just below the flower-head. By tightening this noose and sliding it sharply forward the head would be catapulted off, hopefully hitting a target (often a friend's head). Other country names for the plant are Fighting Cocks, Soldiers and Sailors and Hard-heads.

Richard Mabey (Mabey, 1996) quotes a variant on our game involving the recitation: 

                                Ma faither and your faither

                                Were sitting supping brose.*

                                Ma faither said to your faither

                                Ah'll hit off your nose.

Perhaps not as exciting as Play Station!


Few plants escaped the attention of early pharmacists and plantain was apparently 'useful in diarrhoea, piles, etc.'  Furthermore 'the fresh leaves rubbed on parts of the body stung by insects, nettles, etc. will afford relief'. (Wren, 1923)

Throughout my youth and much of my adulthood, plantains were almost alone in their own family, the Plantaginaceae, which consisted of maybe 150-200 species. Then along came DNA and phylogenetic studies. As a result plantains have now been joined by what was the Figwort family, the Scrophulariaceae.




Purple Toadflax, originally from Sicily, is now included in the Plantain
 family. Christchurch Drive, Daventry. 3 June, 2020

So the old Plantaginaceae family now includes snapdragons, toadflaxes, foxgloves and their relatives, making it a very big family with close on two thousand species.

The flowers of Purple Toadflax, Linaria purpurea, do not obviously hint
 at its relationship to plantains. Christchurch Drive, Daventry. 3 June, 2020

I am now minded to check local churchyards for Rose (Hoary) Plantain.

* Brose: a gruel made by adding milk or water to oatmeal, seasoned with salt, butter or, if available, honey.

References

Harley, Madelaine, 2016  Wonderful Weeds  Papadakis Publisher

Mabey, Richard, 1996  Flora Britannica  Chatto and Windus


Wren, R.C 3rd edition, 1923  Potter's Cyclopaedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations. Potter and Clarke