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Weed guide
Broadleaf plantain
Plantago major · Plantain family (Plantaginaceae)
Also called greater plantain (UK and Victoria), broad-leaved plantain (New Zealand and Canada).
Illustration
A flat rosette of broad, ribbed leaves with pencil-thin flower spikes, found wherever soil is trodden hard. Dig out the whole crown and ease the compaction, and it struggles to come back.
How to spot it
- A flat rosette of broad oval leaves, 4–22 cm long, on stalks about as long as the leaf.
- Five to seven strong parallel veins running from the base of each leaf; snap a leaf stalk and the veins pull out like strings.
- Long, slender, rat-tail flower spikes 8–25 cm long on leafless stalks, with tiny flowers and little white stamens.
- A short crown with shallow, fibrous roots.
Easily confused with
Ribwort plantain
Long, narrow leaves and a short, dense, oval flower head instead of a long spike.
Native plantains (Australia and New Zealand)
Australia has 24 native plantains, mostly in undisturbed bush; the native shade plantain has hairy, narrower leaves. If it's growing in bushland rather than a lawn or path, check before you remove it.
Blackseed plantain (North America)
Longer, cylindrical seed capsules holding fewer seeds. Leaf-stalk colour alone isn't a reliable way to tell them apart.
Where it's a problem
- United Kingdom: Native, and generally considered a lawn weed that spreads quickly.
- Australia: Naturalised in every state except the Northern Territory; regarded as an environmental weed in Victoria, NSW and Western Australia.
- New Zealand: Naturalised since the 1830s.
- North America: Introduced from Europe; common in lawns and paths.
What to do
- Dig plants out with a hand fork, taking the whole crown: it can regrow even when cut off at or below the soil surface.
- Get them before they seed. A plant can produce tens of thousands of seeds a year, and they last in the soil for decades.
- Mowing won't remove it, because the leaves lie flat below the blades. Don't mow very short.
- Fix the cause: it's a sign of compacted, poor soil. Aerate in spring or autumn, then oversow and feed so the lawn thickens.
- In garden beds, 5–10 cm of mulch stops the seedlings.
If you use a herbicide, choose one labelled for broadleaf plantain and follow the label and local rules. Mature plants are hard to kill with weedkillers, and the RHS says non-chemical methods are enough. Clippings from a treated lawn shouldn't go into compost or be used as mulch.
Follow your local council's guidance for disposing of weeds. Councils usually advise against putting weeds like this in the green waste / vegetation bin or the compost.
Take care: Its wind-blown pollen can cause hay fever in sensitive people.
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Sources
- University of California IPM: Plantains pest notes
- University of California IPM: Broadleaf plantain
- RHS: Lawn weed control
- VicFlora, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria
- PlantNET: Plantago in NSW
- Weeds of Australia (Queensland Government)
- NZ Plant Conservation Network: Plantago major
- Penn State Extension: Indicator weeds
Facts checked Sunday 27 September 2026. General guidance only: follow your local council, agency and product label.