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Broadleaf Plantain
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Broadleaf Plantain
ative Photo: Tabish
Common name: Broadleaf Plantain, Greater Plantain, Common Plantain • Chinese: 大车前 Da che qian • Dogri: चमचो पत्तर Chamcho Pattar, जंगली इस्बगोल Jungli Isbagol, वन गुल्ला Van Gulla • Hindi: जंगली ईसबगोल Jangli Isabgol, लहुरिया Lahuriya • Kannada: ಸಿರಪೊಟ್ಲ ಗಿಡ Sirapotla Gida • Kashmiri: बारतंग Bartang, गुल Gul • Khamti: Sevinyuri • Kumaoni: लुहुरिया Luhuriya • Marathi: बारटंग Baartang • Mizo: Kêlba-an • Nepali: चमचे झार Chamche Jhar, इसबगोल Isabgol • Punjabi: ਗਜਪੀਪਲ Gajpipal • Sanskrit: अश्वगोल Asvagola • Tamil: இசப்புக்கோல் விதை Ishappukol Vitai • Tibetan: ཐ་རམ Tha-Ram • Urdu: Bartang بارتنگ Source: Names of Plants in India
Botanical name: Plantago major    Family: Plantaginaceae (Isabgol family)

Broadleaf plantain is a perennial herb, variable with short stout, erect, truncate, rootstocks and numerous adventitious roots. Leaves appear in rosettes, spirally arranged, stalked, sometimes not clearly distinguished into stalk and the blade. Leaves are ovate-elliptic or rarely circular, 10-20 cm long, 4-9 cm broad, rounded at the tip, entire, nearly entire or slightly toothed, 3-9 nerved, nerves divergent at the base. Leaf bases taper into long sheathing stalks usually equalling the blade. Leafless flowering stems are many, 13-15 cm long, arched, erect. Flower spikes are dense or lax, slender, narrow-cylindric, 5-15 cm long. Bracts are equal to or shorter than the sepal cup, ovate-oblong, acute, brownish with a brown keel. Sepals are broadly elliptic, oblong to rounded obtuse. Flowers are greenish or yellowish white, 2-4 mm long, petals elliptic-ovate to narrowly triangular, 1-1.15 mm long, obtuse or acute, reflexed. Anthers are at first lilac, later whitish or yellowish. Broadleaf plantain is native to Temp. Eurasia to Arabian Peninsula, Macaronesia, N. & S. Africa and the Himalayas. Flowering: August-October.
Medicinal uses: Plantain leaves were used commonly in folk medicine for skin poultices on wounds, sores, or insect stings. The root was used for fever and respiratory infections.

Identification credit: Tabish Photographed in Talkatora Garden, Delhi & Srinagar, Kashmir.

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