Plantago depressa Seeds | Depression Plantain
LATIN NAME: Plantago depressa
COMMON NAME: Depression Plantain
Plant Profile
Plantago depressa, better known as Depression Plantain, is a perennial in the plantain family. Depression plantain is quiet, flat weed of wayside, and narrow, ribbed leaves make a fine, steady tea. Low, rosette-forming, perennial plant carries narrow, strongly ribbed, grey-green leaves and short, dense spikes of small, brownish flowers through summer, hugging ground of wayside and dry bank. Leaves have a very long record in old practice of the East, and plant is a fine, easy presence of wild patch and herbal bed. Its open flowers are a reliable stop for bees and other pollinating visitors. Not many plants ask so little and repay so much.
Science & Biotechnology
Like other members of the plantain family, Plantago depressa draws steady attention from botanists and plant breeders, who value the genus both as a subject of research and as a source of garden-worthy material. With present-day seed handling, raising this species well within the reach of any careful grower.
Uses & Benefits
Gardeners value Depression Plantain for its ornamental character, and the plant also fits naturally into herb, vegetable and cutting gardens. Depression plantain is a quiet, useful herb of wayside and dry bank. Narrow, ribbed leaves are gathered through summer for fine, steady tea of old practice, and leaves have a very long record in old practice of the East as a gentle tonic. Low, rosette-forming plant hugs ground, holding soil of wayside and dry slope, and short spikes of brownish flowers rise through the summer. After the first season it asks for very little beyond a place that suits it.
Plantain is the world’s band-aid: crushed leaves are a universal folk poultice for bites and stings, and the seeds of its psyllium relatives are the world’s leading fiber supplement, officially recognized for cholesterol and digestive regularity.
Growing from Seed
Seed is the natural starting point for Depression Plantain, and the process is uncomplicated. Fill a pot with a light seed compost, sow evenly on the surface, cover thinly and stand it somewhere warm, bright and evenly moist. When the young plants are big enough to handle, space them into pots or a nursery row and let them size up before their final move.
Our Take
Depression Plantain settles in quickly once it finds its footing. Given the right start, Depression Plantain is a long-term garden companion. Keep the sowing evenly moist at the start — that is the one real requirement.
Related Reading
Gardeners who grow Depression Plantain often pair it with these related subjects: