Plantago maritima L.

Perennial; lvs thick and fleshy, linear, to 15 cm, entire or nearly so; scapes 5–20 cm, hairy above, equaling or surpassing the lvs; spikes 2–10 cm, loosely or densely fld, usually interrupted below; bracts broadly ovate, acute, equaling or slightly shorter than the cal; sep broadly ovate, acute or subacute, often ciliolate, rounded on the back, the scarious margins as wide as the herbaceous center; cor-tube hairy; cor-lobes 1–1.5 mm, spreading after anthesis; fr ovoid, surpassing the cal, circumscissile near the middle; seeds 2–4, ellipsoid, 2–2.5 mm, flat on the inner face; 2n=12. Salt marshes, beaches, and coastal rocks; circumboreal, s. along the Atlantic to N.J. The Amer. plants are ssp. juncoides (Lam.) Hultén. (P. juncoides; P. oliganthos)

It is a temperate plant. It grows in coastal habitats on salt marshes and sandy places. In Argentina it grows below 500 m above sea level.

The leaves are boiled in soup. They are also eaten in salads. They are also pickled. The seeds can be eaten raw or cooked and can be ground into flour.

Can be grown by seedlings.