Plant"a*ble (?), a. Capable of being planted; fit to be planted. B.
Edwards.
Plant"age (?), n. A word used once by Shakespeare to designate plants
in general, or anything that is planted.
As true as steel, as plantage to the moon.
Shak. (Troil. iii. sc. 2).
Plan"tain (?), n. [Cf. F. plantain- arbre, plantanier, Sp. pl·ntano,
pl·tano; prob. same word as plane tree.] 1. (Bot.) A treelike perennial
herb (Musa paradisiaca) of tropical regions, bearing immense leaves and
large clusters of the fruits called plantains. See Musa.
2. The fruit of this plant. It is long and somewhat cylindrical,
slightly curved, and, when ripe, soft, fleshy, and covered with a thick
but tender yellowish skin. The plantain is a staple article of food in
most tropical countries, especially when cooked.
Plantain cutter, or Plantain eater (Zoˆl.), any one of several large
African birds of the genus Musophaga, or family MusophagidÊ, especially
Musophaga violacea. See Turaco. They are allied to the cuckoos. --
Plantain squirrel (Zoˆl.), a Java squirrel (Sciurus plantani) which
feeds upon plantains. -- Plantain tree (Bot.), the treelike herb Musa
paradisiaca. See def. 1 (above).
Plan"tain, n. [F., fr. L. plantago. Cf. Plant.] (Bot.) Any plant of the
genus Plantago, but especially the P. major, a low herb with broad
spreading radical leaves, and slender spikes of minute flowers. It is a
native of Europe, but now found near the abode of civilized man in
nearly all parts of the world.
Indian plantain. (Bot.) See under Indian. -- Mud plantain, a homely
North American aquatic plant (Heteranthera reniformis), having broad,
reniform leaves. -- Rattlesnake plantain, an orchidaceous plant
(Goodyera pubescens), with the leaves blotched and spotted with white.
-- Ribwort plantain. See Ribwort. -- Robin's plantain, the Erigeron
bellidifolium, a common daisylike plant of North America. -- Water
plantain, a plant of the genus Alisma, having acrid leaves, and
formerly regarded as a specific against hydrophobia. Loudon.
Plant"al (?), a. [L. planta a plant.] Belonging to plants; as, plantal
life. [Obs.] Dr. H. More.
Plan"tar (?), a. [L. plantaris, fr. planta the sole of the foot.]
(Anat.) Of or pertaining to the sole of the foot; as, the plantar
arteries.
Plan*ta"tion (?), n. [L. plantatio: cf. F. plantation.] 1. The act or
practice of planting, or setting in the earth for growth. [R.]
2. The place planted; land brought under cultivation; a piece of ground
planted with trees or useful plants; esp., in the United States and
West Indies, a large estate appropriated to the production of the more
important crops, and cultivated by laborers who live on the estate; as,
a cotton plantation; a coffee plantation.