Buckshorn Plantain

Common name: Buckshorn Plantain or Starweed

Botanical name: Plantago coronopus

Family: Plantaginaceae

Life cycle: Perennial

Habitat: Buckshorn Plantain, which is also commonly known as Starweed has a large taproot and it is predominantly confined to free draining sandy soils on seaside and coastal sites.

Leaf: This rosette type weed has long, narrow leaves with irregular toothed edges.

Flower: The flower is typical of all plantains, in the case of buckshorn plantain, a short spike bourne on a short erect stem. The flowers can be seen between May to September.

Removal and control: Buckshorn plantain can be removed by hand, taking care to remove the whole of the tap root. Maintaining good turf vigour will help prevent weeds from invading to begin with.

Like greater and ribwort plantain, buckshorn plantain can be controlled with a selective weed killer. In most cases a single treatment should be enough.