Taxon: Plantago ovata Forssk.

Summary

Genus:

Plantago

Subgenus:

Psyllium

Section:

Albicans

Family:

Plantaginaceae

Tribe:

Plantagineae

Nomen number:

28790

Place of publication:

Fl. aegypt.-arab. 31. 1775

Verified:

01/07/2003 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

106 (100 active, 86 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Autonym(s)
Plantago ovata Forssk. var. ovata

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Plantago fastigiata E. Morris
Plantago insularis Eastw.
Plantago ispaghul Roxb.
Plantago ovata Forssk. var. fastigiata (E. Morris) S. C. Meyers & Liston
Plantago ovata Forssk. var. insularis (Eastw.) S. C. Meyers & Liston

No images

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
Arechavaleta, M. et al., coords. 2009. Lista de especies silvestres de Canarias: hongos, plantas y animales terrestres
Botanical Society of the British Isles. BSBI taxon database (on-line resource).
Boulos, L. 1999-. Flora of Egypt
Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India. 1969. The wealth of India: a dictionary of Indian raw materials and industrial products. Raw materials. 7:148-153.
Cronquist, A. et al. 1972-. Intermountain flora. Note: mentions
Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
Ghazanfar, S. A. 1992. An annotated catalogue of the vascular plants of Oman. Scripta Botanica Belgica 2
Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Hansen, A. & P. Sunding. 1993. Flora of Macaronesia: checklist of vascular plants, ed. 4. Sommerfeltia vol. 17.
Hickman, J. C., ed. 1993. The Jepson manual: higher plants of California
Kartesz, J. T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland.
Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934-1964. Flora SSSR.
L'Agence nationale de sécurité du médicament. 2012. Pharmacopée française – Liste A des plantes médicinales utilisees traditionnellement. 16.
Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
Markle, G. M. et al., eds. 1998. Food and feed crops of the United States, ed. 2
McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Middleditch, B. S. & A. M. Amer. 1991. Kuwaiti plants: distribution, traditional medicine, phytochemistry,... economic value (Studies in Plant Science 2).
Migahid, A. M. 1988-1990. Flora of Saudi Arabia, ed. 3.
Mouterde, P. 1966-. Nouvelle flore du Liban et de la Syrie.
Padua, L. S. de et al., eds. 1999. Medicinal and poisonous plants 1. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 12(1):402.
Personal Care Products Council. International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient
Rahn, K. 1979. Plantago ser. Ovatae: a taxonomic revision. Bot. Tidsskr. 74:13-20.
Rechinger, K. H., ed. 1963-. Flora iranica.
Wood, J. R. I. 1997. A handbook of the Yemen flora.
Zohary, M. & N. Feinbrun-Dothan. 1966-. Flora palaestina.
1961. Webster's third new international dictionary.

Common names

Language	Name	seq	Citation
English	blond plantain	1	Botanical Society of the British Isles. BSBI taxon database (on-line resource).
English	blond psyllium	1	Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
English	blonde ispaghula	1	Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
English	Indian plantago	1	Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
English	Indian plantain	1	McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
English	ispaghul	1	1961. Webster's third new international dictionary.
English	ispaghula	1	Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
English	psyllium	1	Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
English	spogel seeds	1	Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India. 1969. The wealth of India: a dictionary of Indian raw materials and industrial products. Raw materials. 7:148-153.
Arabic	loqmet el-na'aga	2	Boulos, L. 1999-. Flora of Egypt
French	ispaghul	2	L'Agence nationale de sécurité du médicament. 2012. Pharmacopée française – Liste A des plantes médicinales utilisees traditionnellement. 16.
German	indischer Flohsame	2	Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen
Portuguese (Brazil)	tanchagem-ovada	2	Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Portuguese (Brazil)	transagem-ovada	2	Groth, D. 2005. pers. comm. Note: re. Brazilian common names
Swedish	vitt loppfrö	2	Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note	Reference
1	Native	Africa	Macaronesia	Portugal	Madeira Islands		Hansen, A. & P. Sunding. 1993. Flora of Macaronesia: checklist of vascular plants, ed. 4. Sommerfeltia vol. 17.
1	Native	Africa	Macaronesia	Spain	Canarias		Arechavaleta, M. et al., coords. 2009. Lista de especies silvestres de Canarias: hongos, plantas y animales terrestres
1	Native	Africa	Northern Africa	Algeria			Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1	Native	Africa	Northern Africa	Egypt			Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1	Native	Africa	Northern Africa	Libya			Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1	Native	Africa	Northern Africa	Morocco			Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1	Native	Africa	Northern Africa	Tunisia			Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Arabian Peninsula	Kuwait			Middleditch, B. S. & A. M. Amer. 1991. Kuwaiti plants: distribution, traditional medicine, phytochemistry,... economic value (Studies in Plant Science 2).
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Arabian Peninsula	Oman			Ghazanfar, S. A. 1992. An annotated catalogue of the vascular plants of Oman. Scripta Botanica Belgica 2
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Arabian Peninsula	Saudi Arabia			Migahid, A. M. 1988-1990. Flora of Saudi Arabia, ed. 3.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Arabian Peninsula	Yemen			Wood, J. R. I. 1997. A handbook of the Yemen flora.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Caucasus	Azerbaijan			Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934-1964. Flora SSSR.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Middle Asia	Turkmenistan			Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934-1964. Flora SSSR.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Western Asia	Afghanistan			Rechinger, K. H., ed. 1963-. Flora iranica.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Western Asia	Cyprus			Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Western Asia	Egypt	Sinai		Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Western Asia	Iran			Rechinger, K. H., ed. 1963-. Flora iranica.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Western Asia	Iraq			Rechinger, K. H., ed. 1963-. Flora iranica.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Western Asia	Israel			Zohary, M. & N. Feinbrun-Dothan. 1966-. Flora palaestina.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Western Asia	Jordan			Zohary, M. & N. Feinbrun-Dothan. 1966-. Flora palaestina.
1	Native	Asia-Temperate	Western Asia	Syria			Mouterde, P. 1966-. Nouvelle flore du Liban et de la Syrie.
1	Native	Asia-Tropical	Indian Subcontinent	Pakistan			Rechinger, K. H., ed. 1963-. Flora iranica.
1	Native	Europe	Southwestern Europe	Spain		s.	Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
2	Cultivated					also cult.
4	Naturalized	Northern America		North America		w.	Hickman, J. C., ed. 1993. The Jepson manual: higher plants of California

Native
Africa

MACARONESIA: Spain [Canarias], Portugal [Madeira Islands]
NORTHERN AFRICA: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia

Asia-Temperate

ARABIAN PENINSULA: Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Yemen
WESTERN ASIA: Afghanistan, Cyprus, Egypt [Sinai], Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Syria
CAUCASUS: Azerbaijan
MIDDLE ASIA: Turkmenistan

Asia-Tropical

INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: Pakistan

Europe

SOUTHWESTERN EUROPE: Spain (s.)

Cultivated (also cult.)
Naturalized
Northern America

REGION: North America (w.)

Reference(s)

Arechavaleta, M. et al., coords. 2009. Lista de especies silvestres de Canarias: hongos, plantas y animales terrestres
Ghazanfar, S. A. 1992. An annotated catalogue of the vascular plants of Oman. Scripta Botanica Belgica 2
Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
Hansen, A. & P. Sunding. 1993. Flora of Macaronesia: checklist of vascular plants, ed. 4. Sommerfeltia vol. 17.
Hickman, J. C., ed. 1993. The Jepson manual: higher plants of California
Komarov, V. L. et al., eds. 1934-1964. Flora SSSR.
Middleditch, B. S. & A. M. Amer. 1991. Kuwaiti plants: distribution, traditional medicine, phytochemistry,... economic value (Studies in Plant Science 2).
Migahid, A. M. 1988-1990. Flora of Saudi Arabia, ed. 3.
Mouterde, P. 1966-. Nouvelle flore du Liban et de la Syrie.
Rechinger, K. H., ed. 1963-. Flora iranica.
Wood, J. R. I. 1997. A handbook of the Yemen flora.
Zohary, M. & N. Feinbrun-Dothan. 1966-. Flora palaestina.

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Reference
Food additives	stabilizer	Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
Food additives	thickening agent	Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
Medicines	folklore	Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2
Medicines	folklore	Padua, L. S. de et al., eds. 1999. Medicinal and poisonous plants 1. In: Faridah Hanum, I. & L. J. G. van der Maesen, eds., Plant Resources of South-East Asia (PROSEA) 12(1):402.
Medicines	folklore	Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
Medicines	folklore	McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=28790. Accessed 12 May 2026.