Plantago

...A perennial plant of the Plantaginaceae family that is widely distributed in East Asia. It is said to have been named "Daiyozi" (large leaf) because of its large leaves. It has rosette leaves and prefers bare ground, but because the buds are low and the leaves and stems have strong fibers, it can withstand being stepped on and grows around school grounds and on roads (such plants are called "treadmill plants"). For this reason, it is called "Shazen" in China. The seeds have a small navel in the center of the ventral surface, which becomes sticky when wet, so the seeds stick to shoes and are carried. In spring and autumn, it produces long flower stalks with many small green flowers, and children compete to see who can wrap their wings around these flower stalks to see who can be the strongest. ...

*Some of the terminology that mentions "Plantago" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…東アジアに広く分布するオオバコ科の多年草。葉が大きいことから，〈大葉子〉と名付けられたという。ロゼット葉をもち裸地を好むが，芽の位置が低く葉や茎には強い繊維があるので，踏まれてもよく耐え，グラウンドのまわりや路上に生える(このような植物を〈踏み跡植物〉という)。このため中国では車前（しやぜん）とよばれる。種子の腹面中央には小さなへそがあり，ぬれると粘るため種子は靴などに付着して運ばれる。　春と秋に長い花茎をあげ，緑色の小さな花を多数つけるが，子どもはこの花茎をからませてその強さを競う。…

※「Plantago」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報