Englishman’s Foot
Scientific Name: Plantago major L.
Family: Plantaginaceae
MORPHOLOGY
Growth habit and size: A perennial herbaceous plant with a short rhizome and numerous thin roots, reaching a height of 10-30 cm.
Stem: Erect or ascending flowering stems, sometimes bent at the base and then ascending.
Leaves: Basal leaves only, forming a rosette and lying flat on the ground. They are oval or broadly elliptical, narrowing at the base into a petiole that sheaths the rhizome at its insertion. They have an obtuse apex, sometimes acute, a glabrous or rarely slightly pubescent surface, with veins that run parallel to the margin meeting at the petiole and apex.
Flowers: The inflorescence is a cylindrical spike, green-yellow-rust in color, at the top of the scape, composed of numerous tiny hermaphroditic flowers. It blooms from February to November.
Fruits and seeds: The fruit is an oval-oblong capsule known as pyxidium.
DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT
It grows throughout Italy from sea level to 1,500 m. Common along paths and roadsides, in fallow land, among rubble, and sometimes in fields, on moist soils.
USE
Plantago major is known for its astringent, diuretic, expectorant properties, and for facilitating healing, as well as being effective against bacterial infections. Internally, it is used for diarrhea, hemorrhoids, cystitis, bronchitis, catarrh, sinusitis, hay fever, ear infections, and dry cough. Externally, it is useful for treating wounds, insect bites, ulcers, eye inflammations, shingles, hemorrhoids, and varicose ulcers, and for relieving oral cavity issues and toothache, as well as for treating erythema, burns, and skin irritations. It is often used to moderate the irritating effects of herbs containing volatile oils and to normalize dry and dehydrated skin. Before taking any plant-based products (medicinal or non-medicinal) for therapeutic or similar purposes, it is always advisable to consult a doctor.
In cuisine, young leaves are used along with other herbs for salads and side dishes, providing a refreshing effect on the body.
INTERESTING FACTS
The plant provides food for butterfly caterpillars, rabbits, deer, and woodcocks. The seeds are appreciated by birds.
Photo: Kindly provided by Claudio Farinati
