Plantago and Species

Plantago is a genus of about 200 species of flowering plants in the plantain family, commonly called plantain or shorthair.The common name plantain is shared with the unrelated culinary plantain.Most are herbaceous plants, but some are subshrubs growing up to 60 cm (24 in.) tall.

Description

Leaves sessile or petiole indefinite.They have three to five parallel veins that divide in the wider part of the leaf.The leaves are broad or narrow, depending on the species.Inflorescences are on stems usually 5-40 cm (2-15+1⁄2 in) tall and can be short cones or long spikes with many tiny anemophilous flowers.

Species 

• The boundaries of the genus Psyllium have been fairly stable, the main question being whether to include Buglia (a species from the Andes) and Littorella (2-3 species of aquatic plants).

• There are approximately 200 species of psyllium, including:

• Psyllium.

• African psyllium.

• Psyllium.

• Alpine psyllium.

• Psyllium.

• Plantain.

• Plantago arenaria-branched plantain.

• Plantain.

• Plantago aristata-Psyllium grandiflora, Plantain grandiflorum.

• Plantago asiatica-plantain, obako, arnoglossa.

• Plantain.

  Psyllium.

• Psyllium.

• Psyllium.

• Plantago cordata-heart leaf plantain

• Plantago coronopus-sage plantain.

• Psyllium.

• Plantain.

• Plantain.

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 nubicola (also known as Bougueria nubicola).

• Plantago obconica.

• Plantago ovata-Indian wheat, blond psyllium.

• Plantago pachyphylla.

• Plantago palmata.

• Plantago patagonica-Woolly plantain.

• 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 virginica-Virginia plantain, paleseed plantain.

• Plantago winteri.

• Plantago wrightiana-Wright's plantain.

Etymology

The genus name Plantago is derived from the classical Latin name plantago, which means several species of plantain, including Plantago major and Plantago media.In Latin, the name was formed from the Classical Latin word planta = "sole of the foot".The name came about in Latin because the leaves of these species grow almost flat on the ground.The suffix -ago means "a kind of".

Distribution and habitat

This species is found all over the world, including the Americas, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Africa and Europe.Many species in this genus are cosmopolitan weeds.They are found in many different habitats and are most common in wet areas like seeps or swamps. They can also be found in alpine and semi-alpine or coastal areas. Cosmopolitan weeds often appear on roadsides.

Ecology

The larvae of some Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) use plantains as food plants.