Plantago unibracteata Rahn

Rosette plants; primary root 3–10 mm thick. Leaves all basal, 5–34 to per rosette, brown or green when dry, usually narrowly angular–ovate, sometimes narrowly rhombic, narrowly angular–obovate or angular–obovate, rarely narrowly ovate or narrowly elliptic, widest point below middle or at middle, 9–46 mm long, 2–13 mm wide; axillary hairs rust coloured, usually slightly to very visible, rarely not visible, up to 2–13 mm long. Lamina narrowly elliptic, elliptic, narrowly rhombic, rhombic, narrowly ovate, ovate or narrowly angular–ovate, widest point usually below middle, sometimes at middle, 8–46 mm long, usually punctate, sometimes not punctate, with isolated hairs or sparsely hairy on lower one-half to two-thirds of leaf only adaxially, glabrous abaxially; hairs patent and 0.3–2.2 mm; veins 1; lamina apex acute; base usually attenuate, rarely cuneate; margins entire or subentire with wavy and irregular margins, with 4–10 minute or small, rarely medium, obtuse, regular teeth up to 0.2–1.9 mm long, usually with isolated hairs on lower margins and teeth tips only, rarely entirely glabrous; petiole usually distinguishable from lamina, 3–24 mm long, 1.0–3.2 mm wide at narrowest point. Inflorescences erect, 2–12 per rosette, 3–72 mm long (including spikes); scapes sessile, not ribbed, 0.5–68 mm long, 4–6 mm thick at fruiting, sparsely or densely hairy; trichomes patent, type ‘g’ (proximally sometimes difficult to assess), antrorse, type ‘i’ (distally); spikes globose, 2–5 mm long, 4–6 mm thick at fruiting. Flowers 1–2 per spike, densely crowded; bracts 1–2 per flower, narrowly ovate, ovate, broadly ovate or very broadly ovate, usually acute, rarely obtuse, 1.1–3.1 mm long, 0.7–2.0 mm wide (as is), 0.9–4.1 mm wide (flattened); bract margins usually glabrous, rarely with isolated hairs near apex and outer surface glabrous; bract axils usually sparsely hairy, sometimes with isolated hairs or densely hairy, 0.2–2.1 mm long; calyx usually shorter, rarely longer than capsule, 1.6–3.7 mm long, 1.6–3.6 mm wide; calyx lobes usually narrowly ovate or ovate, rarely broadly ovate, acute, 1.6–3.5 mm long, 0.9–2.1 mm wide; calyx lobe margins scarious and usually glabrous, rarely with isolated hair at apex, middle coloured part 0.3–0.6 mm wide, outer surface glabrous; corolla tube 1.7–3.6 mm long, longer than lobes; corolla lobes narrowly ovate or ovate, acute, 1.0–2.5 mm long, 0.5–1.1 mm wide; stamen filaments 3.1–6.3 mm long, attached to lower half of corolla tube 0.7–1.3 mm from tube base; anthers 1.2–1.7 mm long (including appendix); style 3.4–9.3 mm long, densely hairy throughout or at least lower 2/3; stigma filiform, undifferentiated from style; ovary 0.8–1.7 mm long, 1.1–1.8 mm wide; ovules 8–23. Capsules usually ellipsoid, broadly ellipsoid or globose, rarely obovoid or broadly obovoid, widest at usually middle, rarely upper half, septum usually not reaching, rarely reaching top of capsule, not forming an upper compartment to one side, 2.1–4.9 mm long, 1.8–3.9 mm wide, 0.6–2.4 mm deep; lower portion 0.8–2.3 mm long, cup-shaped. Seeds 5–23 per capsule, usually uniform, rarely of two size classes, usually narrowly rhomboid, rhomboid, broadly rhomboid, ovoid or angular–ovoid, rarely ellipsoid, broadly ellipsoid or globose, usually rust or brown, rarely dark brown, 0.6–2.2 mm long, 0.4–1.4 mm wide; edges angular or subrounded.

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