Plantago rugelii

Blackseed Plantain

• Average to moderately wet or moderately dry soils
• Full sun to moderate shade
• 4” to 12” tall, 8” to 16” wide
• Summer Blooms
• Ontario Native, Thrives in Meadows and Woodlands, will grow in mixed turf areas, tolerating mowing and foot traffic. 

While the Eurasian Broadleaf Plantain, Plantago major, has become extremely common in urban areas, this native Plantain is still widely present in ecosystems with less drastic levels of disturbance and displacement.

Sharing a similar growth habit, the native Blackseed Plantain is also tolerant of challenges like compacted soils, foot traffic and mowing. Distinguishable from their Eurasian cousins by the burgundy colouration where their leaves join their crown and their overall size, the easiest, and most conveniently timed for seed gathering, distinguishing feature is the shape of their seed pods which are more elongated or oval shaped in the native species and proportioned more like an egg in an egg cup in the introduced species.

They have edible foliage, generally harvested while tender in the spring, and the skin soothing properties that the Plantain family is well known for.