Broadleaf Plantain

About

Broadleaf plantain is a flat rosette of wide, ribbed leaves that shows up in worn, compacted lawns and paths. It isn't the banana-like plantain; it's a tough little perennial that survives mowing and foot traffic.

Also called common plantain, greater plantain, plantain, broad-leaved plantain, dooryard plantain

How to identify it

Look for

Leaves are broad and oval, up to a few inches wide, with 5 to 7 strong veins running almost parallel from base to tip. Leaf stalks are usually green, not red, at the base. Tiny whitish flowers crowd along slim, leafless spikes that rise from the center, and the roots are fibrous from a short taproot.

Look-alikes

Blackseed plantain is very similar but has less waxy, mostly hairless leaves and stalks that are often red at the base; buckhorn plantain has long, narrow leaves.

Where it grows

Compacted, heavily walked or overwatered lawns, paths, driveways and thin turf, including shady spots in warm areas.

When

Seeds sprout from late spring to midsummer, and the flower spikes appear from about June to September.

How it spreads

Only by seed, up to about 20,000 per plant, and seeds hitch rides on shoes and animals.

Most common in

What to do, gentlest first

Start at the top. Weed killers are a last step; always read and follow the label.

1. Loosen compacted soil and thicken the lawn Prevent

   Aerate compacted areas, water deeply but less often, and fertilize and mow properly so grass fills in.

2. Pull or dig when the soil is moist By hand

   Use a weeding tool to lift the whole rosette and its root, ideally before the flower spikes set seed.

3. Mulch beds Barrier

   Keep 2 to 3 inches of mulch in garden beds so seeds can't reach the soil.

4. Vinegar on young plants Organic spray

   Horticultural vinegar kills small seedlings, but older plants usually regrow from the root.

   Strong vinegar (over about 11% acetic acid) can burn skin and eyes, so wear gloves and eye protection. It browns any leaves it touches, grass included.

5. Broadleaf lawn herbicide in fall Conventional spray

   Spot-treat actively growing plants with a lawn product containing 2,4-D, MCPP (mecoprop), dicamba or triclopyr; mid-fall is the best time.

   Read and follow the label. Many lawn weed killers also harm vegetables, flowers and shrubs, so don't let spray drift into beds, and keep dicamba products off the root zones of trees and shrubs.

Uses, wildlife and pets

Edible?

NC State describes it as a nutritious wild green: young leaves raw, older leaves cooked. Only gather it from unsprayed areas away from roads.

Not 100% sure? Don't eat it. Never pick from ground that may have been sprayed, or along roads and railways.

For wildlife

Birds eat the oily seeds, and the flowers draw some pollinators.

Pets

Not listed by the ASPCA (its 'plantain lily' entry is hosta, a different plant).