Buckhorn Plantain

Plantaginaceae

LIFE FORM: Perennial

NATIVITY: Europe

VEGETATIVE CHARACTERISTICS:

Grass-like leaves are smooth, with prominent parallel veins, and are arranged to form a basal rosette; roots are very tenacious.

FLOWERS:

Cone-like clusters of flowers are produced on the ends of unbranched stalks from June through September; individual flowers are arranged in dense, cylindrical spikes; they open in a spiral pattern to form a distinct ring.

FRUIT/DISPERSAL AGENTS:

Seeds become sticky when wet which aids in animal dispersal; also sprouts from root pieces left in the ground following removal.

ECOLOGICAL PREFERENCE:

Tolerant of compacted soils and mowing; needs full sun. Prefers neglected residential and commercial landscapes; minimally maintained public parks and open space; vacant lots and rubble dump sites; abandoned grasslands (meadows); small-scale pavement openings (tree pits) and cracks; rock outcrops and stone walls; unmowed highway banks and median strips with frequent salt applications.

ENVIRONMENTAL FUNCTION:

Disturbance-adapted colonizer.

CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE:

A tea made from the leaves is used to treat a variety of ailments in European folk medicine.