Ribwort Plantain (Plantago lanceolata)

Flowerhead of Ribwort Plantain prior to the appearance of white stamens. Photographed 24th May 2013

This one threw me a bit when I first photographed it on 24th May. I had an idea what it was but I’m more used to the dark flower head being ringed by prominent white stamens. Without these I wasn’t sure of what I was seeing so I decided to photograph it and come back a few days later to find out if they were starting to look a bit more as expected.

The picture on the top left is one I took on the 24th May. The second photo is from four days later on the 28th May when the stamens have started to appear on some of the plants (but not all) and they are currently just a little scraggy and sparse looking.

Another specimen nearby, photographed on Tuesday 28th May 2013 with the white stamens I’d normally expect to see.

These specimens are close to where I photographed Pink Purslane, at approximately NS494586. Just cross the bridge over the Levern Burn at the bottom of Cogan Street, turn left and keep on left, keeping close to the burn, into what were once the gates of an old building, now long disused and barely a pile of stones now. You’ll see these all along the side of the overgrown path. As with Pink Purslane, be careful. The ground is uneven, muddy and littered with debris.