Japanese name: ヘラオオバコ Scientific name:Plantago lanceolata
[Overview]
A perennial 20–70 cm tall, found along roadsides and on vacant land.
It has thick, vertically growing roots.
All leaves grow from the base, spatulate, 10–20 cm long and 1.5–3 cm wide, with wavy teeth on the margins.
Parallel veins are conspicuous on the leaves.
A spike 3–5 cm long, conical to cylindrical, at the tip of a long flower stalk bears small, densely set flowers that open from the bottom of the spike upward.
The 4 stamens project far out of the flower and are conspicuous.
The fruit is a capsule.
[History]
It is said to have arrived in Japan in the late Edo period.
It is designated as an invasive alien species requiring caution under the Invasive Alien Species Act.
