Plantago

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
Synonyms
Psyllium Mill.

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

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) or lang stangs (whiles cried rat's-tails) atap stalks atween 5cm and 40cm heich. Ilka flouerheid hauds a guid hantle o totie wind-pollinatit flouers.

Plantago is kent frae aa pairts o the warld bi Antarctica. A guid wheen o the species in the genus are braid-reengin weeds. 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.

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

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".

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.

Species o Plantago include,
Plantago lanceolata
Plantago major
Plantago media