Plantago
Greater Plantain (Plantago major)
Scientific classification
Kinrick: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Faimily: Plantaginaceae
Subfaimily: Plantagineae
Genus: Plantago
L.
Subgenera

Plantago
Coronopus
Bougeria
Psyllium
Littorella

Synonyms

Psyllium Mill.[1]

Plantago is a genus o around 200 species o sma plants, for common cried plantains or waybreds[2]. It is in nae wey sib tae the cookin plantain--ae kynd o banana.

Kything eedit

The blads are aye wan-shankit, but they hae a nairra bit doun at the base that is cried a pseudo-petiole. The blads hae three or five straucht-rinnin veins that sinder apairt at the braider end. The heids o flouers are aither hauden in cutty cones (whiles cried cocks[3]) or lang stangs (whiles cried rat's-tails[4]) atap stalks atween 5cm and 40cm heich. Ilka flouerheid hauds a guid hantle o totie wind-pollinatit flouers.

Raik eedit

Plantago is kent frae aa pairts o the warld bi Antarctica.[5] A guid wheen o the species in the genus are braid-reengin weeds[6]. Maist waybreds bide in sypit areas sic as slaps an mosses, but they are fund up in hielands an doun on links, forbye. Mony species o waybreds dinna dae weel in loans weel-steekit wi girss.[7]

Ecology eedit

Waybreds gie maet tae a gey wheen o the maithes o mochs and butteries.[8]

Uises eedit

In Scotland, the seed an flouer heids are uised in mony games played bi bairns. Siccan games hae bairns ettlin tae ding the heids aff ilkanither's waybred stang. Thir games hae names sic as "fechtie-cocks","neepie-nappie", an "sodgers".[9][10][11]

The huils o waybred seeds are gart unco gourie an hove up whan wettit. Acause o that, the huils o Plantago (maist aften frae P. psyllium) are, for common, pit intae laxatives or gien tae fowk that are needin mair fibre in their maet. Taein an ower muckle wheen o psyllium huils, or uisin them for mair nor ae week at a time can gie ye the dry-darn.[12]

Species eedit

Species o Plantago include,
Plantago lanceolata
Plantago major
Plantago media


References eedit

  1. "Genus: Plantago L." Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 20 Apryle 2006. Archived frae the original on 15 Januar 2009. Retrieved 4 Mairch 2011.
  2. "Dictionary of the Scots Language:: DOST :: waybred".[deid airtin]
  3. "Dictionary of the Scots Language:: SND :: cocks n pl1".[deid airtin]
  4. "Dictionary of the Scots Language:: SND :: rat n1". Archived frae the original on 16 September 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  5. "Plantago major (broad-leaved plantain)". www.cabi.org (in Inglis).
  6. "Plantago lanceolata | Online Atlas of the British and Irish Flora". www.brc.ac.uk (in Inglis). Archived frae the original on 16 September 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  7. "Plantago major Common Plantain, Cart Track Plant,White Man's Foot ,Plantain PFAF Plant Database". pfaf.org.
  8. "HOSTS - The Hostplants and Caterpillars Database at the Natural History Museum". www.nhm.ac.uk.
  9. "Dictionary of the Scots Language:: SND :: neepienappie". Archived frae the original on 16 September 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  10. "Dictionary of the Scots Language:: SND :: sodger". Archived frae the original on 16 September 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  11. "Dictionary of the Scots Language:: SND :: neepienappie". Archived frae the original on 16 September 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
  12. "Psyllium Uses, Side Effects & Warnings". Drugs.com (in Inglis).