Skip Navigation
Menu

Broadleaf Plantain

Plantago major

Broadleaf plantain, normally a perennial, sometimes behaves as an annual. It is a problem in lawns and sometimes in thin alfalfa and pastures as well as christmas trees. It is a low growing plant with large leaves. The leaves are purported to relieve the pain of insect stings if crushed and rubbed on the affected area. In the past the indians called it "White mans' foot" because it was not native to the USA and since it has a sticky seed it was carried by the early settlers on their shoes.

Photo of Broadleaf Plantain

Photo by Dr. John Meade, weed scientist emeritus
Rutgers NJAES Cooperative Extension