Plantago maritima 'Sea Plantain'

[Ex. Co. Durham, England]

Plantaginaceae: a characteristic coastal perennial to 25cm, tolerant of salt spray and occasional immersion in sea water. It grows mainly in saltmarshes but also be found growing on coastal cliffs. The flowers are set in slender spikes that appear from June-August. The leaves are narrow, strap-like and untoothed. Widespread and common around the coasts of Britain and Ireland. Native to Western Europe, including Britain, from Scandinavia south and east to Spain, Hungary and Russia.

USES:

The young leaves can be raw or cooked, they have a delicious flavour. This is one of the nicer-tasting members of the genus, the leaves are fairly low in fibres and make an acceptable addition to a mixed salad. The leaves are canned for winter use in Alaska. The seed can also be eaten raw or cooked. The seed can be ground into a powder and used as a flour extender. The seed is very small and tedious to harvest.

The leaves have antiperiodic and ophthalmic properties. They are used as a remedy for ague and sore eyes. Plantain seeds contain up to 30% mucilage which swells up in the gut, acting as a bulk laxative and soothing irritated membranes. Sometimes the seed husks are used without the seeds.

GROWING INFORMATION:

Succeeds in any moderately fertile soil in a sunny position. Sow seeds in spring in a cold frame or greenhouse. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in early summer.

HARVESTED: 2019

APPROX. 100 SEEDS