English Plantain
Plantago lanceolata
Family Plantaginaceae

Characteristics:
* Leaves slender, 3-ribbed.
* Stalk long, grooved.
* Flower head short, bushy.
* Height: 9-24".

Natural History:
* Flowers April - November.
* Habitat: Meadows, waste places, lawns,.
* Range: Throughout the United States.
* Introduced from Europe.

Connections!
* In England, the English plantain is sometimes called Kemp. This word, with its origin in the Danish koempe, meaning warrior, refers to a game that children used to play with the plant: Using the flower stalks as swords, they tried to knock the heads off their competitors' weapons.