Seasonal Wild Flowers

Buck's-horn Plantain

Plantago coronopus

Plantaginaceae

May to October

It is found all round the coast.

Inland it occurs in the Southeast, East Anglia and parts of the

Midlands and the far Southwest.

See the BSBI distribution map for Buck's-horn Plantain

It grows on coastal grassland, walls, waste ground, shingle

beaches, sand dunes, sea-cliffs, cliff-top paths and heaths.

Inland, it grows in sandy places and by salt-treated roads.

Buck's-horn Plantain is a native, prostrate, perennial herb,

growing up to 20cm.

The flowers are in spikes (2-4cm) on often curved scapes

up to 20cm.

Flowers are up to 3mm, and have 4 papery sepals which

persist after flowering.

The petals form a corolla tube with 4 lobes (difficult to see).

There are 4 stamens with long filaments and large cream anthers.

There is a sinlgle style and stigma.

The leaves are fleshy linear, pointed and variably pinnate.

Scapes and leaves are downy.

Previous page: Brooklime
Next page: Burnet Rose

Buck's -horn Plantain on a coastal wall

Scape with flowering spike

Flowers with stamens

Close-up of flower - 4 stamens, 4 sepals

Spike with remains of flowers - sepals

Sepals on un-open spike on curved scape

Basal rosette of leaves

Hairy divided leaves and downy scape

Rosette of less pinnate leaves on shingle,

Weymouth, Dorset