Plantago Maritima, Sea Plantain



Common name:
Sea plantain
Scientific name:
Plantago maritima
Main flower color:
Range:
Coastal regions all across the British Isles
Height:
Up to 15 cm
Habitat:
Saltmarshes and damp coastal cliffs
Flowers:
Tiny, in dense, vertical spikes extending up to 6 cm at the top of the leafless stem. Flowers have a green, four-lobed calyx, a greenish brown, four-lobed corolla (darker, pinkish along the midrib), a pistil with long, feathery style, and four exserted stamens topped by large anthers, initially pale yellow, ageing to red/brown
Leaves:
Narrow, fleshy, linear, greyish-green, crossed by three or five lengthwise veins. Up to 20 cm long, in a basal rosette
Season:
June to August
Rarity:
★★★★★