About Plantago lanigera Hook.fil.
Plantago lanigera Hook.fil. plants form small rosettes, with a primary root up to 9 mm thick. Each rosette produces up to 21 leaves, which are most commonly narrowly angular-ovate or angular-ovate. Short, rust-coloured hairs shorter than 15 mm are visible in the leaf axils of the basal rosette. The leaves have 1 to 3 veins, measure 12–64 mm long including the petiole, and reach up to 16 mm wide. They are usually punctate, typically sparsely to densely hairy on the upper surface, and usually hairless (glabrous) on the lower surface. Leaf apexes are either acute or obtuse, and leaf margins are smooth, wavy, or bear up to 10 minute teeth. The petiole is usually distinguishable from the leaf blade, and grows up to 28 mm long. Each rosette produces up to 13 erect inflorescences, which can reach 116 mm in total length. The inflorescence stalks (scapes) are smooth and sparsely to densely hairy. The inflorescence spikes are globose or ovoid, and hold 1–9 densely packed flowers. Each flower has one small bract, which is broadly ovate to very broadly ovate and usually glabrous. The flower calyx is 2.0–3.4 mm long and 1.4–3.0 mm wide, and is glabrous. The corolla tube measures 1.7–2.6 mm long, corolla lobes are 1.1–2.3 mm long, stamen filaments are 1.9–6.7 mm long, anthers are 0.7–1.4 mm long, and the style is 2.6–6.8 mm long and densely hairy. The ovary is 0.6–1.7 mm long, and contains up to 13 ovules. The fruit is a dry, dehiscent capsule that splits via circumsessile dehiscence. It is broadly ellipsoid, globose, or ovoid, widest at or below its middle, and measures 1.8–4.2 mm long by 1.4–3.0 mm wide. Each capsule holds 4–13 uniform rust or brown seeds, which are 0.6–1.5 mm long and shaped ellipsoid, rhomboid, or angular-ovoid. Plantago lanigera flowers from October to February and fruits from November to April. Its recorded chromosome numbers are 2n=12 or 2n=24; the 2n=24 counts include nine individuals previously listed as 'P. novae-zelandiae diploid' and 'P. novae-zelandiae tetraploid'. This plantain species is endemic to the North, South, and Stewart Islands of New Zealand. In the North Island, it occurs in the Taranaki and Southern North Island regions. On the South Island, it is found in Western Nelson, Westland, Canterbury, Otago, Fiordland, and Southland regions. It grows in herbfields, grasslands, and shrublands, as well as in bogs, on stream and tarn edges, on rocks, and on ridges, all in damp or wet areas, at elevations from 580 to 1820 m above sea level.
