Plantain

Plantago major

herb

Broadleaf plantain (Plantago major) is the low, unassuming rosette of oval, strongly ribbed leaves found in virtually every lawn, path, and driveway crack around the world. From the center rise slender green flower spikes that ripen into tiny seeds. Far from a mere weed, it is one of the oldest and most widely used wild edible plants - the young leaves eaten as a pot green, and the plant put to many traditional uses. Tough, cosmopolitan, and nearly impossible to discourage, it is grown deliberately for a reliable supply of clean leaves and seed.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Calendula — A cheerful low companion that shares the same easy conditions in a herb bed
• Chamomile — Another low-growing, easygoing herb that pairs well in a lawn-edge planting

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Aphids →

  Rinse off colonies on the flower spikes; rarely serious on the tough leaves

• Slugs →

  May chew tender leaves in damp shade - use grit or traps and harvest in the morning

• Leaf miners →

  Pick and destroy any mined leaves; mature plants shrug off light damage

🌾 Harvest & storage

Pick the young, tender inner leaves anytime through the season for eating or drying, taking them before the plant flowers for the mildest flavor, as older leaves grow stringy with tough fibers. Gather the seed spikes when they turn brown and dry, stripping the tiny seeds for sowing or use. Leaves are best used fresh or dried quickly in a single layer.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

Young plantain leaves are edible, with a mild, slightly bitter, spinach-like flavor - eaten raw when small or cooked like other greens - and they carry vitamins A, C, and K plus minerals. The mature seeds are related to psyllium and add fiber. It is a tough, common plant long gathered for its useful leaves.