Plantago
Plantago is a genus of about 200 species of flowering plants in the family Plantaginaceae, commonly called plantains or fleaworts. The common name plantain is shared with the unrelated cooking plantain. Most are herbaceous plants, though a few are subshrubs growing to tall. Description The leaves are sessile or have a poorly defined petiole. They have three or five parallel veins that diverge in the wider part of the leaf. Leaves are broad or narrow, depending on the species. The inflorescences are borne on stalks typically tall, and can be a short cone or a long spike, with numerous tiny wind-pollinated flowers. Species The boundaries of the genus Plantago have been fairly stable, with the main question being whether to include Bougueria (one species from the Andes) and Littorella (2–3 species of aquatic plants). There are about 200 species of Plantago, including: Plantago afra Plantago africana Plantago aitchisonii Plantago alpina Plantago amplexicaulis Plantago arborescens Plantago arenaria—Branched plantain Plantago argentea Plantago aristata—Bracted plantain, largebracted plantain Plantago asiatica—Chinese plantain, obako, arnoglossa Plantago aucklandica Plantago bigelovii Plantago canescens Plantago coreana Plantago cordata—Heartleaf plantain Plantago coronopus—Buckshorn plantain Plantago cornuti Plantago cretica Plantago cynops Plantago debilis—Shade plantain, weak plantain Plantago elongata—Prairie plantain, slender plantain Plantago erecta—California plantain, foothill plantain, dot-seed plantain, English plantain, dwarf plantain Plantago eriopoda—Redwool plantain Plantago erosa Plantago fernandezia Plantago fischeri Plantago gentianoides Plantago glabrifolia Plantago grayana Plantago hawaiensis—Hawaiian plantain Plantago hedleyi Plantago helleri—Heller's plantain Plantago heterophylla Plantago hillebrandii Plantago himalaica Plantago holosteum Plantago hookeriana—Hookers plantain, tallow weed, California plantain Plantago incisa Plantago indica Plantago krajinai Plantago lagopus—Hare's foot plantain Plantago lanceolata—Ribwort plantain Plantago lanigera Plantago leiopetala—Madeira plantain Plantago longissima Plantago macrocarpa Plantago major—Greater plantain, common plantain Plantago maritima—Sea plantain Plantago maxima Plantago media—Hoary plantain Plantago melanochrous Plantago moorei—Moore's plantain Plantago musicola Plantago nivalis "Plantago novae-zelandiae" Plantago nubicola (also known as Bougueria nubicola) Plantago obconica Plantago ovata—Indian wheat, blond psyllium Plantago pachyphylla Plantago palmata Plantago patagonica—Woolly plantain "Plantago picta" Plantago polysperma Plantago princeps Plantago purshii—Woolly plantain Plantago pusilla Plantago psyllium—Sand plantain, French or dark psyllium Plantago raoulii Plantago rapensis Plantago remota Plantago reniformis Plantago rhodosperma—Redseed plantain, redseed indianwheat Plantago rigida Plantago robusta Plantago rugelii—Blackseed plantain Plantago rupicola Plantago schneideri Plantago sempervirens Plantago sparsiflora Plantago spathulata Plantago subnuda—Tall coastal plantain Plantago tanalensis Plantago taqueti Plantago tenuiflora Plantago triandra Plantago triantha Plantago tweedyi "Plantago udicola" "Plantago unibracteata" Plantago virginica—Virginia plantain, paleseed plantain Plantago winteri Plantago wrightiana—Wright's plantain Etymology The genus name Plantago descends from the classical Latin name , which in classical Latin meant some Plantago species, including Plantago major and Plantago media. In Latin the name was formed from the classical Latin word = "sole of the foot". The name was so formed in Latin because the leaves of these species grow out near flat at ground level. The suffix in Latin means "a sort of". Distribution and habitat The species are found all over the world, including the Americas, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Africa and Europe. Many species in the genus are cosmopolitan weeds. They are found in many different habitats, most