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Plantago debilis (Plantaginaceae) 3:560
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| Plantago debilis
(Shade Plantain) is small, rare, native rosette herb with a slender taproot. It grows in
the understorey of both wet and dry forests in the north-east. The leaves are about
3-6cm long, mostly more than 1cm wide and either hairless or with scattered hairs on both
surfaces. They have thick petioles almost as long as the blades. The
leaves are held at least partly upright and have short white or
yellow-brown hairs at the bases of the leaves. Unlike most Plantago
species, the flowers are quite well separated on the flower spikes.
It is one of a group of similar species. The very common weed
species, P. varia,
and the rare grassland species,
P. gaudichaudiana, have long reddish hairs at the bases
of the leaves. The leaves of those species are usually larger.
P. hispida has dense spikes and narrower leaves. P.
antarctica is an alpine species.
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