Plantago obconica Sykes

Rosette plants; primary root 2–6 mm thick. Leaves all basal, 6–27 to per rosette, green or brown when dry, usually linear, rarely triangular–linear, widest point usually at or above middle, rarely below middle, 5–26 mm long, 0.3–3 mm wide; axillary hairs rust coloured, usually slightly to very obvious, rarely not visible, up to 1–7 mm long. Lamina linear, widest point at middle, 5–26 mm long, punctate or not punctate, usually glabrous or with isolated hairs (rarely sparsely hairy) on lower half only adaxially, usually glabrous, rarely with isolated hairs abaxially; hairs patent and 0.3–1.4 mm; veins 0–1; lamina apex acute; base attenuate; margins entire or subentire, with 0–12 minute, obtuse, regular teeth up to 0.1–0.7 mm long, usually with isolated hairs on lower margins and teeth tips only, rarely glabrous or sparsely hairy; petiole usually not distinguishable from lamina, 6–7 mm long, 0.3–1.3 mm wide at narrowest point. Inflorescences erect, 0–12 per rosette, 4–18 mm long (including spikes); scapes sessile, not ribbed, 0–10 mm long, 3–5 mm thick at fruiting, glabrous, but sometimes with isolated appressed glandular hairs near top; spikes globose, 2–9 mm long, 3–5 mm thick at fruiting. Flowers 1–2 per spike, densely crowded; bracts 2 per flower, ovate, broadly ovate or very broadly ovate, usually acute, rarely obtuse, 2.1–4.1 mm long, 1.0–2.1 mm wide (as is), 1.7–3.9 mm wide (flattened); bract margins usually glabrous, rarely with isolated glandular hair at apex and outer surface glabrous or with isolated glandular hairs on midrib; bract axils with isolated hairs or sparsely hairy, 0.4–1.5 mm calyx shorter or longer than capsule, 2.6–4.8 mm long, 1.3–3.0 mm wide; calyx lobes usually narrowly ovate, rarely ovate, usually acute, rarely obtuse, 2.5–4.1 mm long, 0.9–2.0 mm wide; calyx lobe margins scarious and usually glabrous, rarely with isolated hairs at apex, middle coloured part 0.2–0.7 mm wide, outer surface glabrous or with small appressed isolated hairs on midrib; corolla tube 2.1–6.2 mm long, longer than lobes; corolla lobes usually narrowly ovate, rarely ovate, acute, 1.0–3.4 mm long, 0.3–0.9 mm wide; stamen filaments 4.3–5.5 mm long, attached to lower half of corolla tube 0.8–1.8 mm from tube base; anthers 1.5–2.0 mm long (including appendix); style 3.9–9.3 mm long, densely hairy throughout; stigma filiform, undifferentiated from style; ovary 0.6–2.2 mm long, 0.5–2.0 mm wide; ovules up to 14. Capsules narrowly ellipsoid, ellipsoid or narrowly obovoid, widest at middle or upper half, septum not reaching top of capsule, not forming an upper compartment to one side, 2.5–7.2 mm long, 1.3–3.3 mm wide, 0.2–1.5 mm deep; lower portion 0.9–5.4 mm long, funnelform, elongated to up to 11.1 mm. Seeds 3–10 per capsule, uniform, usually ellipsoid or broadly ellipsoid, rarely ovoid, angular–ovoid or broadly angular–ovoid, rust or brown, 0.7–1.6 mm long, 0.5–1.1 mm wide; edges usually rounded, rarely angular.

[Reproduced from Meudt (2012, New Zealand J. Bot. 50: 101–178) with permission from The Royal Society of New Zealand.]

Flowering: Jan.–Mar.