Plantago uniflora Hook.f.
Primary root short-lived; adventitious roots numerous from amongst old lf bases. Stem simple, short or occasionally to 5 cm long, clothed with copious long fine hairs. Lvs radical, rosulate, subcoriaceous, somewhat punctate, subsessile or with petiole up to as long as lamina and sometimes broad and flat. Lamina (5)-10-30-(50) × 1-10-(17) mm, linear to lanceolate or elliptic, sometimes narrow-rhombic, glabrous or with multicellular hairs (mostly on petiole, base of blade and lower margins, sometimes in bands - usually upper 1/2 of blade glabrous), glabrous on undersurface; lateral veins 2, inconspicuous; margins entire to strongly dentate; base ± attenuate; apex obtuse or subacute. Scapes from very short to c. 9-(14) cm long, thinly to densely pilose below, closely invested with short hairs immediately below spike even at fruiting. Spike 1-2-(4)-flowered. Bracts 1.5-2 mm long, very broadly ovate, rarely narrowed above, sheathing whole floret, membranous with narrow and low indefinite keel, glabrous. Sepals 1.5-3 mm long, ± ovate-elliptic; keel glabrous, low and narrow. Corolla tube ± = lobes; lobes 1.3-2-(2.4) × 0.4-0.8 mm, narrowly triangular. Capsule 2-4 mm long, broad-ellipsoid to suborbicular; apex rounded. Seeds (4)-8-12, 0.7-1.5 mm long, irregular.
N.: Volcanic Plateau, Ruahine and Tararua Ranges, Mt Egmont; S.: N.W. Nelson and wet mountains of the Main Divide; St.
Endemic.
Mountain bogs and other wet places but also descending to sea level on St.
FL Dec-Feb.
