Template:POTD/2025-09-10
Plantago lanceolata, also known as the ribwort plantain, among other names, is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae. It is native to Europe and western Asia and has also been introduced elsewhere in the world, including North America, Oceania, Japan, South Africa and Chile. The plant is a rosette-forming perennial herb, with leafless, silky, hairy flower stems, typically growing to 45 centimetres (18 in) in height. The flower stalk is deeply furrowed, ending in an ovoid inflorescence of many small flowers each with a pointed bract. Plantago lanceolata is used in herbal teas and other herbal remedies and is also employed as a prop in various children's games. This P. lanceolata inflorescence was photographed in Kulna, Estonia.Photograph credit: Ivar Leidus