Minutina, also called erba stella, is the cultivated form of buckshorn plantain -- a plant many gardeners already have growing wild in lawns and paths without realising it. That wild form is the same species and will cross with your cultivated crop if it's flowering nearby.
New to terms like isolation distance or outcrossing? See the Seed-Saving Glossary.
Seed-Saving Difficulty
✓
Safe to Save
Low crossing risk.
How It's Pollinated
Wind-pollinated, largely self-compatible
(Low crossing risk)
Scientific name: Plantago coronopus
Domestic Crops It Can Cross With
- Other minutina plants, if more than one variety is grown
Wild Relatives & Feral Species
- Wild buckshorn plantain is the same species and will cross if growing nearby -- it's a common lawn and path weed in many regions
Separation Distances Required
Minimum: 50m as good practice
Recommended: 100m if wild buckshorn plantain grows nearby
Strict: Not usually needed
Seed-Saving Strategies
- Allow flower spikes to fully mature and dry
- Seed forms along the length of the narrow spike
- Harvest and thresh once dry
- Store dry -- viable 2-3 years