Plantago triandra

Plantago triandra plants are small rosettes with a primary root up to 12 mm thick, with up to 62 usually angular-ovate leaves, and with visible, short (<13 mm long), rust-coloured leaf axillary hairs in the basal rosette. The leaves have 1 vein, are 8–61 mm long (including petiole) and up to 11 mm wide, sometimes punctate, glabrous on both surfaces or with bands of hairs to sparsely hairy on the upper surface. The leaf has an acute apex, and its edges are smooth, wavy or with up to 24 small to large teeth. The petiole is usually distinguishable from the leaf lamina, and up to 23 mm long. Each rosette plant has up to 22 erect inflorescences which can be up to 41 mm long. The scapes are smooth and glabrous or hairy. The spikes are globose with 1–3 densely crowded flowers. Each flower has a small bract that is broadly ovate to very broadly ovate and usually glabrous. The calyx is 0.3–1.7 mm long, 0.3–1.1 mm wide, mostly glabrous but rarely with a hair at the apex. The corolla tube is 2.0–4.4 mm long, corolla lobes 0.9–2.9 mm long, stamen filaments 1.7–6.8 mm long, anthers 0.7–1.4 mm long, and style 2.7–10.0 mm long and densely hairy. The ovary is 0.7–2.6 mm long, with up to 42 ovules. The fruit is a dry, dehiscent capsule with circumsessile dehiscence, ellipsoid or globose, widest at middle, 2.1–4.3 mm long and 1.5–3.9 mm wide. …

Plantago triandra is a plantain that is endemic to the North, South, Stewart and Chatham Islands of New Zealand. In the North Island it is found in Auckland, Volcanic Plateau, Taranaki, and Southern North Island regions, whereas on the South Island it is found in Marlborough, Western Nelson, Westland, Canterbury, Otago, Fiordland, and Southland regions.

It is found on coastal banks, cliffs, herbfields, dunes and rock outcrops in damp or wet areas, from sea level to 1,520 m (4,990 ft) above sea level. It can also be found in bowling or golf course greens.