Plantago media

{{short description|Species of flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae}}

{{speciesbox

| name = Hoary plantain

| image = Plantago-media.JPG

| genus = Plantago

| species = media

| authority = L.

}}

Plantago media, known as the hoary plantain, is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae. It is native to central and western Europe, including Great Britain and introduced to parts of the north-east United States. Its generic name is derived from the Latin for sole; like other members of the genus Plantago, it should not be confused with the unrelated plantain, a starchy banana.

Description

File:Keskmise teelehe õisik Plantago media.jpg

Plantago media grows in damp grassy meadows up to an altitude of 2000 m. A slender stalk of between 5 and 50 cm develops from a basal rosette of finely-haired leaves. Delicate pink-white flowers are borne between May and September. P. media is hermaphrodite and is pollinated by wind or insects, particularly bees.

Distribution and habitat

Plantago media is native to Eurasia. It is native to eastern England, but scarce in Scotland and Ireland. It is calcicole, characteristic of soils on chalk or limestone, growing in grassland, meadows, lawns and waste places.{{cite book|last1=Blamey|first1=M.|last2=Fitter|first2=R.|last3=Fitter|first3=A|year=2003|title=Wild flowers of Britain and Ireland: The Complete Guide to the British and Irish Flora.|publisher=A & C Black|location=London|isbn=978-1408179505}}{{rp|248}}Parnell, J. and Curtis,T. 2012. Webb's An Irish Flora. Cork University Press. {{ISBN|978-185918-4783}}

Uses

The plant is edible. Archeological finds testify to its use{{clarify|reason=for what purpose?|date=August 2018}} during the Roman era in Britain.{{cite web | title=Plantago media| work=Archaeobotanical Computer Database (ABCD) | url=http://intarch.ac.uk/journal/issue1/tomlinson/scripts/abcd.cfm?taxa=Plantago+media&date=all&action=rec&long=on | accessdate=2006-05-29}}