Plantain, a source of food for vegetarian reptiles?
Plantain is a herbaceous plant that is widespread in Europe.
In terrariums, it constitutes a quality food for vegetarian reptiles.
Its use also concerns insectivorous species.
The plant is part of the Plantaginaceae family in the Plantago branch.
What does plantain look like?
Plantain is characterized by significant diversification.
But the most famous species are:
lanceolate plantain (Plantago lanceolata)
stag horn plantain (Plantago coronopus)
intermediate plantain (Plantago media)
plantain major (Plantago major)
This plant grows low to the ground.
The foliage is on the surface, and the stems, bearing only the flowers, rise a few centimetres.
The leaves can be recognized by their parallel veins.
The plant impresses with its endurance, it resists winter perfectly.
Indeed, the plant does not lose its foliage during the winter period.
Stocking up on plantain is not complicated.
It grows everywhere in the fields, on the sidewalk and even on the gutters.
The plant is easy to grow and does not require any special attention.
Nutritional values
Plantago major is very rich in calcium.
A level of 184 mg per 100 g is measured.
It also has a considerable phosphorus level, 52 mg per 100 g.
Its calcium-phosphorus ratio is thus estimated at 3.6 / 1.
Large plantain is abundant in fibre, vitamin C and above all in provitamin A (1,500 IU per 100 g).
These concentrations are also observed in other species.
Specialists strongly recommend the plant for vegetarian reptiles.
It is also used to feed insects (crickets, locusts) which serve as prey for insectivorous species.
For nutrition, only the leaves are offered, these are very rich in minerals; the larger the more nutritious.
The leaves of the plantain keep very well in the refrigerator.
