Biology:Plantago indica
| Plantago indica | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Plantaginaceae |
| Genus: | Plantago |
| Species: | P. indica
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| Binomial name | |
| Plantago indica | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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List
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Plantago indica, commonly known as branched plantain, sand plantain, or black psyllium, is a flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae, and is one of a few species in the Plantago genus under the common name psyllium.[3] The plant is native to parts of Africa, Europe, Russia , and Asia, and has been naturalized in many other areas such as Australia and North America.[4][5] The plant can be found mostly in dry inland areas, such as those that are sandy, and has also naturalized on roadsides and in meadows.[4][5] The plant is not used broadly as a food source, but has been cultivated for its seeds which serve a medicinal use as a laxative.[6]
Description
Plantago indica is an annual herb with a taproot that has an erect stem with leaves that are usually opposite but sometimes in whorls of 3, and elongated internodes between leaf sets.[4][7] Glandular pubescence is found on the stems, leaves, sepals, and inflorescences.[4] The leaves are simple and have a base that is decurrent onto the petiole, an entire or slightly dentate edge, are linear or lanceolate in shape, and can reach 2.5-5cm long and 1-3mm wide.[4][7] Some leaves are modified into bracts between 0.5cm and 2cm which have a cuspidate apex and an orbicular-ovate base.[4] The plant has a densely flowered inflorescence with flowers that have a glabrous, brownish corolla and a calyx with broadly veined, elliptic and obovate sepals.[4][7] The stamens exsert above the corolla, and the anthers are yellow, ellipsoid, and 1.8-2.2mm in size.[4][7] The style of the stigma is also well exserted, and the floral parts are hypogynous but extend superior to the ovary.[4][5][7] The seeds are contained in capsules of 2. The seeds are 2.5-2.8 mm in size, black or blackish-brown, shiny, ellipsoid, and have a distinct central groove on the inner face.[4][7]
Ecology
Plantago indica is described as being native to North Africa, Southwest China, Europe, Russia , Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.[4] The plant has become broadly naturalized, identified in areas of Australia , North America, India , Japan , and Pakistan .[4][5] The plant is commonly found in sandy areas such as in arid deserts and on sandy beaches, and has also been seen distributed on roadsides, and by railroad tracks.[4][5][8][9]
Uses
The seeds, known as French psyllium or black psyllium, are medicinally cultivated, along with other species under the psyllium common name, such as P. ovata, for use as a laxative for constipation and are also used to treat irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and diarrhea by extracting the mucilage from the seed coat.[6][10] The mucilage from the seeds has also been reported to lower the risk of coronary heart disease.[6][10]
References
- ↑ Syst. Nat. ed. 10, 2: 896 (1759)
- ↑ "Plantago indica L.". Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017. http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:685262-1#synonyms.
- ↑ "Plantago indica L. — The Plant List". http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-2557206.
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 "Plantago arenaria in Flora of China @ efloras" (in en). Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=242417001.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Jeanes, J.A. (1999). "Flora of Victoria". https://vicflora.rbg.vic.gov.au/flora/taxon/c7003d96-e962-4efe-8fe4-f06c5afc4f51.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Black Psyllium: MedlinePlus Supplements" (in en). https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/natural/97.html.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Radford, Albert E.; Ahles; Bell (1964). Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. United States of America: The University of North Carolina Press. pp. 978. ISBN 978-0-8078-1087-3.
- ↑ "Plantago arenaria - Michigan Flora". https://michiganflora.net/species.aspx?id=1962.
- ↑ "Plantago arenaria | Online Atlas of the British and Irish Flora" (in en). https://www.brc.ac.uk/plantatlas/plant/plantago-arenaria.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Hanson, C.V.; Oelke, E.A.; Putnam, D.H.; Oplinger, E.S. (1992-06-01). "Psyllium". https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/afcm/psyllium.html.
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