Plantago
Plantago is a genus of about 200 species of flowering plants in the family Plantaginaceae, commonly called plantains or fleaworts. The common name plantain is shared with the unrelated cooking plantain. Most are herbaceous plants, though a few are subshrubs growing to tall. Description The leaves are sessile or have a poorly defined petiole. They have three or five parallel veins that diverge in the wider part of the leaf. Leaves are broad or narrow, depending on the species. The inflorescences are borne on stalks typically tall, and can be a short cone or a long spike, with numerous tiny wind-pollinated flowers. Species The boundaries of the genus Plantago have been fairly stable, with the main question being whether to include Bougueria (one species from the Andes) and Littorella (2–3 species of aquatic plants). There are about 200 species of Plantago, including: Plantago afra Plantago africana Plantago aitchisonii Plantago alpina Plantago amplexicaulis Plantago arborescens Plantago arenaria—Branched plantain Plantago argentea Plantago aristata—Bracted plantain, largebracted plantain Plantago asiatica—Chinese plantain, obako, arnoglossa Plantago aucklandica Plantago bigelovii Plantago canescens Plantago coreana Plantago cordata—Heartleaf plantain Plantago coronopus—Buckshorn plantain Plantago cornuti Plantago cretica Plantago cynops Plantago debilis—Shade plantain, weak plantain Plantago elongata—Prairie plantain, slender plantain Plantago