# Sea Plantain

*Plantago maritima*

Its leaves are rich in vitamin C and have a salty, nutty flavor; they were historically eaten by coastal communities to prevent scurvy.

- **Taxonomy:** Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Lamiales › Plantaginaceae › Plantago
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** wetland
- **Habitat:** Coastal salt marshes, rocky cliffs, sandy shores, and saline inland soils.
- **Diet:** Autotrophic (photosynthesis, absorbing water and mineral nutrients from saline soils).
- **Range:** Europe, North America, Asia, North Africa
- **Size:** 10 to 30 cm in height
- **Lifespan:** Perennial (typically 3 to 7 years)
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Coastal development, shoreline erosion, and heavy recreational foot traffic causing soil compaction.
- **Safe to approach?:** This species is entirely harmless and non-toxic. You can safely approach and touch its fleshy leaves. If foraging in permitted areas, wash the leaves thoroughly to remove salt, sand, and coastal debris.

## About

Plantago maritima (common names sea plantain , seaside plantain , goose tongue ) is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae. It has a subcosmopolitan distribution in temperate and Arctic regions, native to most of Europe, northwest Africa, northern and central Asia, northern North America, and southern South America. Like samphires, the leaves of the plant are harvested to be eaten raw or cooked. The seeds are also eaten raw or cooked, and can be ground...

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/4e9ca91e-21d6-4721-b381-04aa76fe78a4
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/68543
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantago maritima
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/335651506/medium.jpg (Tatiana Gavrilova, CC0, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.