Sea Plantain (Plantago maritima) – Irish Seed
€3.00
Sea plantain (Plantago maritima) is the seaside cousin of ribwort plantain and a much nicer nibble. Though a coastal plant, it can be occasionally found inland at lake shores and mountains. It should grow fine in any free draining soil as its close relative staghorn plantain (P. coronopus), also a coastal plant, is cultivated by salad growers in many areas.
A native plant to Ireland, sea plantain typically flowers from June to September in the wild. When seed heads are ripe they can be cut and hung to dry upside down in a paper bag. Enough seed will fall out for you to replant again. Seed is tiny so difficult to separate from the chaff if you break up the dried flower heads.
Average 400 seeds per packet (0.2g)
Seed was collected from Courtmacsherry, Co. Cork
Out of stock
Picking Sea Plantain (& Buck’s-horn Plantain)
As with many plants which typically grow on the coast, sea plantain has a slightly salty taste and very succulent leaves. The green leaves have a great crunch and freshness, the younger the better but even older leaves are quite palatable. Like the other plantains, leaves emanate from a basal rosette. They are long (10-30cm), pointed and channeled. A cross section of the leaf looks like a very thick blade of grass with a U or V shape. They are faintly veined. Flower spikes protrude and stand proud of the leaves and the drying flower heads are instantly reminiscent of the ‘rat’s tail’ moniker given to greater plantain (P. major).
I am not aware of any similar looking toxic plants which can be confused for sea plantain. Growing in similar habitats, and superficially similar in appearance is sea arrowgrass (Triglochin maritima), but that is also edible. It is also worth looking out for staghorn/buck’s-horn plantain (P. coronopus). Their leaves are flatter and with a very distinctive deeply jagged edge the resemble antlers. Flower heads are similar but the leaf mass and plants in general are more compact than the larger growing sea plantain.
Buck’s-horn plantain
