Plantago major
Plantago major
FamilyGenus: Plantagonative in Germany
🌿
13
Species
interact
🔗
25
Interactions
documented
🐛
3
Host relationships
Species
About this species
Plantago major is a native perennial herb in Great Britain, reaching around 17 cm in height. It produces broad leaves and small flowers from May to September. It prefers sunny sites with moderately moist, average soil, and is frequent in lawns, path edges, and trampled ground. The plant is child-safe.
Ecological network
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PollinationLarval hostFlower visit
Ecological significance
Plantago major is a long-established native herb that integrates naturally into British grassland and ruderal vegetation.
Annual cycle
Flowering occurs from May to September. The plant is a herbaceous perennial, forming a low rosette of leaves.
Safety note
The plant is child-safe.
Standort & Merkmale
Light
Sonne
Moisture
Frisch (Mäßig feucht)
Soil
Mittelzehrer (Normaler Boden)
Flowering period
Mai – Sep
Soil reaction
Mäßig sauer bis neutral
Bioregion
Continental
Growth form
Krautige Pflanze
Woodiness
Nicht verholzt
Leaf type
Breitblättrig
Plant height
0.167 m
Morphological traits: TRY ID3 (CC BY 3.0) & TRY ID81 (CC BY)
Pflege & Anbau
Plant in a sunny position in moderately moist, ordinary garden soil. The plant thrives in average fertility and can be left to naturalise in lawns or along paths.
Scientific profile
Plantago major is a non-woody perennial herb with broad leaves and a terrestrial habit. The plant typically attains a height of about 17 cm, with leaf blades averaging over 4,800 mm². Its small flowers appear from May to September. Indicator values suggest a preference for full sun, fresh to moderately moist conditions and soils of average nutrient status, with a slightly acid to neutral reaction. It is not tolerant of salinity and shows adaptation to low-disturbance settings. The species is native in Great Britain and is not considered threatened (Red List *).
Pollinators & visitors
7 Arten interagieren mit dieser Pflanze
Sphaerophoria scriptaLasioglossum puncticolleCeratina cucurbitinaLasioglossum politumBombus terrestrisMelanostoma mellinumPlatycheirus clypeatus
Host relationships
3 species use this plant as a host
Other flower visitors
3 other species visit the flowers
BombyliusCantharis rusticaBombylius sp.1
Sources & data origin
•Cook et al. (2025) UK Butterfly & Moth Traits (DOI: 10.5285/dbc7cc17-cbbd-49dd-bab4-8e8855768d66)
•pollinator_interactions
•FloraWeb / BfN
•EIVE 1.0 — Dengler et al. (2023), DOI: 10.3897/VCS.98324 (CC BY 4.0)
•GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — GBIF Secretariat (2024), DOI: 10.15468/39omei (CC BY 4.0)
•TRY Categorical Traits (ID3) — Kattge et al. (2012), DOI: 10.17871/TRY.3 (CC BY 3.0)
•TRY Global Spectrum (ID81) — Díaz et al. (2016/2021), DOI: 10.17871/TRY.81 (CC BY)
•Govaerts R et al. (2025) — World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP) v14. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. DOI: 10.34885/xs7h-ze42 (CC BY 4.0)
•Foto: © Adobe Stock / AdobeStock_680412360
All data is licensed under CC BY 4.0, CC0, or compatible terms. Attribution according to license conditions. Full source overview →