Jun 032015
The plantain, also known as “rat-tail” is a rampant weed throughout Ireland, as it virtually indestructable, pushing up through gravel, pavings, flower-beds and lawns. However, it is worth a closer look, as its delicate collar of pale yellow stamens is rather pretty. As children we used plantains for a game, similar to “conkers”, where each person tried to knock the flower head off the other person’s stalk. You can also create a kind of missile by ejecting the head from the stalk by wrapping another stalk around it and tugging sharply.