Plantains

Broadleaf Plantain

Native to Europe and Central Asia, but naturalized in in much of the world, this plantain is the one most used for food. Young leaves are used in salads, green sauces and the like, older leaves are used in stews. They are very nutritious, high in calcium and vitamins A, C and K. The similar Hoary Plantain, native to Central and Western Europe, is used in the same way.   Photo of P. major by Rasbak distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported.

Buck's Horn Plantain

Native mainly to coastal regions of Europe, Central Asia and parts of North Africa, this plantain is now also found in North America, New Zealand and Australia as an introduced species. This plant is grown commercially on a small scale as a salad herb. In some northern regions it has recently become a popular winter crop, grown in unheated plastic tunnels.   Photo by Patrice78500 contributed to the Public Domain. .

Ribwort Plantain

This Plantain is native to temperate regions of Eurasia, but has been introdued to Australia and North America, where it is very widespread. The leaves are long and strongly ribbed, with three to 5 longitudinal ribs. The flower stalks are long and generally straight up. It is often used in herbal teas and herbal medicinals, particularly effective for cough. The photo specimen was found in Los Angeles, California (La Crescenta).

Sea Plantain

This narrow leaf species is native to coastal regions in arctic to temperate zones of Europe and Central Asia, and also in North and South America. The leaves are up to 8-1/2 inches long, less than 1/2 inch wide and are less fibrous than most plantain leaves. This species is found as far south as Ventura County in Southern California, though it is much more common to the north.

This is one of the best tasting and most edible of the plantains, eaten particularly in the Maritime provinces of Eastern Canada and in Alaska, where it is often canned for use in the winter. I suspect it is also eaten in Finland and Siberia.   Photo by Ghislain118 distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported.

Asian Plantain

This perennial Plantain is native to China, Korea and Japan, preferring disturbed areas. It is a common culinary herb in Japan, often used in soups. The flavor is slightly bitter, and the leaves can be fibrous if not quite young. It also is used medicinally for a broad variety of complaints.   Photo by Shizhao distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported.

Psyllium

P. ovata is native to Southern and Western Asia, and is an introduced species in the western United States, now naturalized. It got the name "White Man's Footprint" because it started sprouting up everywhere European settlers went. P. ovata is an annual, producing a basal rosette and sending up flower spikes up to 18 inches high.

These plants are grown commercially in Europe, India and parts of the former Soviet Union, with India by far the largest producer. P. ovata is the dominant commercial species. Psyllium seed husks are very high in mucilage, making them a major source of dietary fiber. This substance is used to promote regularity, control diarrhea, and is an effective treatment against mild high cholesterol. Psyllium must be take with adequate water as it is highly absorbent.

The mucilage has many other usages, including thickening ice cream and other products. It has over 6 times the thickening power of starch. It is also used in newly planted soil to improve water retention. The seed left from milling the husk is used as chicken and cattle feed.   Photo of P. ovata by Stan Shebs distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, Attribution Required.