Greater plantain (Plantago major) is a very common weed in lawns and disturbed ground all over the UK. Plantago major has many common names. These include broad-leaved plantain, common plantain, rat-tail plantain, great waybrede and wibrow.
Can plantains grow in the UK?
Occurrence: Greater plantain is a native perennial weed of disturbed habitats, roadsides, grassland, on tracks, waste and cultivated ground. It occurs throughout the UK on a range of soils and is almost always associated with the activities of man.
What is plantain called in UK?
Plantago major
Greater Plantain
| Hedgerow Type | |
|---|---|
| Common Names | Greater Plantain, Broad Leaf Plantain, White Mans Foot, Englishmans foot |
| Scientific Name | Plantago major |
| Season Start | Jan |
| Season End | Dec |
Where do broadleaf plantains grow?
Broadleaf plantain is a perennial broadleaf plant that infrequently behaves as an annual or biennial. Members of the plantain family have basal rosettes of leaves and leafless spikes of inconspicuous flowers. It is found throughout California to 7200 feet (2200 m), except for the Sierra Nevada region and deserts.
How do I identify a plantain UK?
Identifying Plantain
These leaves grow in a basal rosette, which means they grow at the base of the plant, the leaves overlapping to loosely form a rose-like shape. Plantain is also identifiable by its prominent central flower spike.
Can you grow plantain banana in UK?
Most bananas won’t flower or fruit outdoors in the UK, although some may do so in a heated greenhouse or conservatory. However, in very mild parts of the UK and particularly long, hot summers, you could possibly get flowers outdoors on Musa acuminata ‘Dwarf Cavendish’, M. ornata, M.
Why can we not grow bananas in the UK?
“There a very few hardy bananas that can crop outdoors in the warmer regions of the UK, but the supermarket banana is strictly a plant for heated greenhouses or warm, frost-free climates. Even if hardy bananas survive outdoors they often crop infrequently, if at all.
Can you eat plantain UK?
The leaves are edible, but are bitter and it is best to remove the thick veins.
Is plantain edible UK?
Plantain belongs to a big family of plants called Plantaginaceae. Greater and lesser plantain is also known as common plantain and ribwort plantain respectively. Plantains are a versatile wild edible and herbal remedy.
What is English plantain look like?
There are 3-5 parallel veins along the length of each leaf. The leaves are gray-green to green and glabrous to sparsely hairy; there are usually a few hairs along the central vein on the underside of each leaf. The slender flowering stalks are devoid of leaves and about 6-18″ tall.
Do plantains grow in Europe?
Fruit Today
European bananas are grown in the Canary Islands, whilst plantains come from Guadalupe and Martinique (France) and Madeira (Portugal), meeting all the EU regulations on the subject of social responsibility and environmental protection.
Can you grow broadleaf plantain?
As befits a plant with a reputation as a weed, broadleaf plantain will grow in just about any soil. It has a tolerance for dense, compacted soils, though will fare best and grow to its largest size in rich, loamy soil with good drainage.
Is broadleaf plantain safe to eat?
The broadleaf plantain weeds that you find in your yard can be eaten entirely, but the young leaves are the tastiest. Use these raw in any way you would spinach, such as in salads and sandwiches. You can also use the older leaves raw, but they tend to be more bitter and stringy.
Are there two types of plantains?
Two groups of plantains are thought to have a common origin: the horn plantain and the French plantain. Both types grow in India, Africa, Egypt, and tropical America. The French plantains also occur in Indonesia and the islands of the Pacific.
How can you tell broadleaf plantain?
Broadleaf Plantain Identification
Broadleaf plantain is characterized by rosettes of spirally arranged leaves and numerous whitish adventitious roots that emerge from the lower part of its short stem. Leaves are oval to elliptical with entire or wavy margins.
What is the difference between a banana tree and a plantain tree?
Both of these plants grow pseudostems that appear to form a complete trunk, but it is in fact various offshoots of the plant itself. The banana tree grows flowers that are white or cream, while plantain trees grow red or maroon flowers. However, they both produce fruit in a similar fashion as well.
What is the best banana plant to grow in the UK?
Musa
Musa is the most commonly grown banana plant in the UK. While grown for its dramatic, enormous leaves, you may be lucky to see fruits develop, although these are rarely edible in the UK – they need months of heat and sun to ripen.
Where do English plantains grow?
This perennial herb occurs in fields, lawns, roadsides, and other disturbed habitats. English plantain is a common perennial herb that came to America with early European settlers. It flourishes as a weed in disturbed sites but is rarely found in natural landscapes.
What climate is needed to grow plantains?
Plantains require warmth to grow, with growth stopping completely at 50 degrees Fahrenheit. A year-round mild climate is suitable for plantains, though they do best in tropical temperatures and may need protection from the cold.
What foods can’t the UK grow?
Government sources sometimes quote a figure of 75% but this excludes ‘non-indigenous’ items such as exotic fruit – bananas and mangoes, tea, coffee and spices – foods that cannot be grown (either at all or on a meaningful scale) in the UK.
Why are bananas cheap in UK?
“The UK has a much bigger population which impacts demand and pricing, its retailers have different supply and transport agreements with their growers than we do, it doesn’t have VAT (GST) on fresh food like bananas, and has different exchange rates, labour and raw material costs than we do here in New Zealand.”