Common Water Plantain Taken at Gailes March on 1st July 2018 using Panasonic Lumix LX5 in macro mode. Taken at Strathclyde Park on 8th August 2015 using Panasonic Lumix LX5 in macro mode Common Water Plantain. Species: Order: Family: Habit: Local Names: Alisma plantago-aquatica. Alismatales. Alismataceae. European Common Plantain. Habitat: Height: Feature: Grows in shallow water. Up To 1m tall. A powder prepared from dried roots was thought to have been used as a cure for rabies and crushed leaves were used against mammary congestion; fresh leaves are employed in homeopathy.