Plantago lanceolata L. var. sphaerostachya Mert. & W.D.J. Koch
Plantago lanceolata L.
English plantain, ribwort plantain, narrowleaf plantain
English plantain is a European native, found in Britain, from Iceland south and east to Spain, and northern and central Asia. It is naturalized in North America.
Plants: Plants are 6–24″ (15–60 cm) tall, with bare, ridged stems.
Leaves: Leaves are in the form of a basal rosette, with ascending, smooth-edged, narrowly elliptic or narrowly oval leaves 4–16″ (10–40 cm) long. Leaves have three or more parallel nerves.
Flowers: An oval structure ½–3″ (1.3–7.6 cm) tall atop each stem is festooned with tiny white flowers ⅛″ (3.2 mm) in size. The flowers form a ring of diminutive blooms that begins at the bottom of the oval and works upward, appearing from Apr-Aug.
Fruits: Fruits are 1/16–⅛″ (3–4 mm) in size, splitting open when dry.
Edibility: Young leaves are edible raw or cooked, though bitter and very fibrous. Seeds may be ground and added to flour.
Habitats: Lawns, prairies, roadsides, and plains.
Online References:
References:
Clemants, Steven; Gracie, Carol, Wildflowers in the Field and Forest, Oxford University Press, 2006, p. 360
Plantago altissima auct. non L.
Plantago lanceolata L. var. sphaerostachya Mert. & W.D.J. Koch
Plantago lanceolata L. var. sphaerostachya Mert. & W.D.J. Koch
9/3/2020 · Mitchell Field, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 3½ × 4½″ (8.6 × 12 cm) 
6/2/2016 · Townsend Wildlife Management Are, Townsend, Massachusetts 
6/9/2016 · Monhegan Island, Maine 
5/31/2010 · Mt. Lebanon St., Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 1 × 2′ (41 × 62 cm) 
7/12/2013 · Wooden Bridge, East Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 10 × 7″ (25 × 16 cm) 
7/12/2013 · Wooden Bridge, East Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 4½ × 6″ (11 × 14 cm) 
6/9/2016 · Monhegan Island, Maine 
6/10/2021 · Otter Brrok Preserve, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 2 × 3½″ (6 × 9.6 cm) 
8/7/2013 · Amos Kendall Conservation Land, Dunstable, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 7″ (14 × 18 cm) 
6/2/2016 · Townsend Wildlife Management Are, Townsend, Massachusetts 
4/21/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 12 × 9″ (29 × 22 cm) 
7/20/2023 · Curtis Farm Preserve, Harpswell, Maine 
6/5/2026 · Cathance River Trails, Topsham, Maine · ≈ 2½ × 2″ (6.9 × 5.3 cm) 
6/2/2016 · Townsend Wildlife Management Are, Townsend, Massachusetts 
6/17/2013 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Nashoba Hospital, Massachusetts · ≈ 3½ × 5″ (9.5 × 13 cm) 
8/2/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, near Nashoba Hospital, Ayer, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 12″ (20 × 31 cm) 
6/10/2021 · Otter Brrok Preserve, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 2½ × 4″ (6.7 × 10 cm) 
6/20/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton Center, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 3½ × 5″ (9.2 × 13 cm) 
6/5/2026 · Cathance River Trails, Topsham, Maine · ≈ 4 × 3″ (10 × 8.3 cm) 
8/2/2012 · Nashua River Rail Trail, near Nashoba Hospital, Ayer, Massachusetts · ≈ 4½ × 4½″ (11 × 12 cm) 
3/4/2001 · Haleakalā, Maui, Hawaii 
6/2/2016 · Townsend Wildlife Management Are, Townsend, Massachusetts 
6/23/2025 · Otter Brrok Preserve, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 2½ × 3½″ (6.7 × 8.9 cm) 
7/7/2012 · Gibbet Hill, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 3 × 3½″ (8.1 × 9.1 cm) 
7/3/2023 · Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania 
5/31/2010 · Mt. Lebanon St., Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 4 × 4″ (10 × 11 cm) 
7/31/2021 · Otter Brrok Preserve, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 6 × 8″ (15 × 21 cm) 
7/7/2012 · Gibbet Hill, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 9″ (14 × 22 cm) 
5/31/2010 · Mt. Lebanon St., Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 3 × 3″ (7.9 × 8.3 cm) 
6/9/2025 · Curtis Farm Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 1¾ × 5″ (4.9 × 13 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Lamiales | Aromatic herbs and shrubs, including lavender, lilac, olive, jasmine, ash, teak, snapdragon, sesame, psyllium, garden sage, mint, basil, and rosemary |
| Family | Plantaginaceae | Plantains |
| Genus | Plantago | From Latin plantago, “footprint,” since plantains popped up where European settlers walked |
| Species | lanceolata | “Lance-like”—usually a reference to leaf shape, probably a reference to the fruits in this case |
Plantago lanceolata description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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