Plantago udicola Meudt & Garn.-Jones

Rosette plants; primary root 3–20 mm thick. Leaves all basal, 8–19 to per rosette, green or brown when dry, usually narrowly angular–obovate, rarely narrowly obovate, widest point above middle, 16–186 mm long, 4–27 mm wide; axillary hairs rust coloured, slightly to very visible, up to 5–23 mm long. Lamina narrowly elliptic, elliptic, narrowly rhombic, rhombic, narrowly angular–obovate or angular–obovate, widest point usually at middle, sometimes above middle, 13–175 mm long, usually not punctate, rarely punctate, usually with isolated hairs or sparsely hairy, rarely densely hairy adaxially, glabrous, with isolated hairs or sparsely hairy, especially along midrib and margins, rarely densely hairy abaxially; hairs patent and 0.5–3.6 mm; veins 1–5; lamina apex usually acute, rarely obtuse; base attenuate or cuneate; margins entire or subentire with wavy and irregular margins, with 4–12 minute, small, medium or large, obtuse, regular or irregular teeth up to 0.3–4.6 mm long, with patchy isolated hairs to sparsely hairy; petiole usually distinguishable from lamina, 6–75 mm long, 1.1–6.8 mm wide at narrowest point. Inflorescences erect, 3–18 per rosette, 62–266 mm long (including spikes); scapes elongating before anthesis, not ribbed, 3–250 mm long, 4–8 mm thick at fruiting, sparsely to densely hairy, especially near top; trichomes patent, type ‘g’ (proximally), antrorse, type ‘i’ (distally); spikes usually long and linear–ovoid, sometimes ovoid, rarely globose, 5–28 mm long, 4–8 mm thick at fruiting. Flowers 2–32 per spike, usually densely crowded, rarely more distant below (up to 4 mm apart); bracts 1 per flower, ovate, broadly ovate or very broadly ovate, acute or obtuse, 1.8–3.5 mm long, 0.8–2.2 mm wide (as is), 1.3–3.6 mm wide (flattened); bract margins with isolated hairs or sparsely hairy and outer surface glabrous or with isolated hairs along midrib; bract axils usually sparsely hairy, rarely with isolated hairs or densely hairy, 0.9–2.4 mm long; calyx usually shorter, rarely longer than capsule, 2.2–3.5 mm long, 1.4–2.9 mm wide; calyx lobes ovate, acute or obtuse, 1.9–3.3 mm long, 1.1–2.5 mm wide; calyx lobe margins scarious and usually with isolated hairs at apex, rarely glabrous, middle coloured part 0.3–0.9 mm wide, outer surface glabrous or with isolated hairs on midrib; corolla tube 1.8–3.7 mm long, longer than lobes; corolla lobes usually narrowly ovate or ovate, rarely broadly ovate, acute, 1.1–2.9 mm long, 0.6–1.3 mm wide; stamen filaments 2.0–7.5 mm long, attached to usually lower half, rarely upper half of corolla tube 0.2–1.7 mm from tube base; anthers 1.5–2.2 mm long (including appendix); style 2.2–6.4 mm long, densely hairy throughout; stigma filiform, undifferentiated from style; ovary 0.6–1.8 mm long, 0.5–1.3 mm wide; ovules 4–5. Capsules usually ellipsoid, broadly ellipsoid or ovoid, rarely rhomboid, broadly rhomboid or broadly ovoid, widest at lower half or middle, septum usually reaching top of capsule, not forming an upper compartment to one side, 2.1–4.7 mm long, 1.4–3.2 mm wide, 0.8–1.9 mm deep; lower portion 0.6–2.3 mm long, cup-shaped. Seeds 1–4 per capsule, uniform, usually ellipsoid, rarely narrowly ellipsoid, rust, brown or dark brown, 1.1–2.5 mm long, 0.6–1.4 mm wide; edges rounded.

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