Taprooted annual. Leaves rosetted, narrow-elliptic to narrow-obovate, mostly 3–15 cm long and 0.5–1.5 cm wide, acute or obtuse, pubescent to glabrescent, mainly on veins, usually 3-veined, margins toothed; petiole to c. 5 cm long. Spike cylindric, (2–)10–25 cm long, dense; peduncles mostly 5–20 cm long, hirsute; bracts lanceolate to triangular, 1.5–2.5 mm long. Sepals ovate to elliptic, c. 2 mm long, unequal, strongly ridged; corolla-tube c. 1 mm long, lobes mostly 2–3 mm long, erect; anthers c. 0.3 mm long, not exserted. Capsule ovoid, c. 2.5 mm long; seeds 3, ellipsoid, mostly 1.5–2 mm long, greenish. Flowers spring and summer.
VVP, EGL. Also naturalised Qld, NSW. Native to South America. In Victoria currenly known from only from a few sites in basalt plains grassland immediately west of Melbourne.
Jeanes, J.A. (1999). Plantaginaceae. In: Walsh, N.G.; Entwisle, T.J., Flora of Victoria Vol. 4, Cornaceae to Asteraceae, pp. 463–474. Inkata Press, Melbourne.
