Plantago media

Hoary plantain
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Plantaginaceae
Genus:	Plantago
Species:	P. media
Binomial name
Plantago media L., 1753

Plantago media, known as the hoary plantain, is a species of genus Plantago 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 Plantago, it should not be confused with the plantain, a starchy banana.

Description

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

The plant is edible and has long maintained a reputation for medicinal effects as an astringent for treating wounds.^{[citation needed]} In antiquity it was employed against toothache and eye infections.^{[citation needed]} Archeological finds testify to its use during the Roman era in Britain. The seeds are a laxative.^{[citation needed]}