Plantago debilis R.Br.

Hairy perennial herb with persistent elongated slender or stout taproot. Lvs all radical, rosulate, densely clothed in crisped, rather short hairs; petiole 1–3 cm long, with basal tuft of long creamy yellow to pale brown hairs. Lamina 1.5–4–(7) × 1–1.7 cm, oblanceolate, obovate, or almost elliptic, membranous; main veins 3; base attenuate; apex obtuse to acute. Scape 2–7–(14) cm long, with antrorse hairs. Spike 0.8–5.5 cm long, narrow-cylindric, dense. Bracts to almost = calyx, lanceolate-ovate or ovate; margins scarious; keel acute, ciliate, purplish. Sepals subequal, 1.7–2.3 mm long, broad-ovate, scarious apart from the herbaceous, purplish and sometimes slightly hairy keel. Corolla tube = calyx; lobes 1–1.5 mm diam., broad-ovate or suborbicular, ± mucronulate, reflexing. Stamens glabrous, ± exserted. Style with somewhat curly hairs, well exserted. Capsule 2.5–3 mm long, subglobose to broad-ovoid, mucronate, usually 5-seeded. Seeds mostly 1.2–2 mm long, oblong-elliptic to obovoid, brown, compressed; 1 seed smaller (c. 1 mm long) and more irregular, separated from the others by a horizontal placental outgrowth towards apex.

[From: Webb et al. (1988) Flora of New Zealand. Volume 4.]

Flowering: Aug.–Nov.