debilis

FAMILY: BOTANICAL NAME: Plantago debilis, R.Br., Prodr. 425 (1810) COMMON NAME: Shade plantain COMMONWEALTH STATUS: (EPBC Act) Not Listed TASMANIAN STATUS: (TSP Act) rare

Plantago debilis. Tasmanian Herbarium specimen.

Description A perennial herb with a slender tap root. Leaves: The leaves are basal, arranged in a rosette, erect, between 3-6 cm long and hairy on both surfaces. The margins are usually toothed. The leaf gradually tapers down to a wide stalk that is the same length as the leaf itself. Flowers: The flowers are very small and borne on slender stalks, which are longer than the leaves. Flowering occurs throughout the year. Fruit: The fruit is a capsule (Curtis 1967).

Distribution and Habitat On the mainland this species occurs in Victoria and New South Wales. In Tasmania, Plantago debilis is found in boulder crevices and both wet and dry forest/woodland on the East Coast and in the north-east (Curtis 1967).

Key Sites and Populations Key sites for this species include Barbers Mine near Fingal, Gould’s Country near Goshen, Wardlaw’s Creek and the Elephant Pass.

Known Reserves Reserved in the Avenue River Forest Reserve, Douglas-Apsley National Park, Freycinet National Park, German Town Forest Reserve, Lower Marsh Creek Forest Reserve, St Marys Pass State Reserve and St Patricks Head State Reserve.

Ecology and Management Plantago debilis has been located in association with gravel piles alongside a disused track, suggesting that the species is able to regenerate after machinery disturbance to the soil (Forest Practices Board pers. comm.). Wind is the most likely pollination vector for this species (A. Hingston pers. comm.).

THREATENED Threatened Flora of Tasmania SPECIES UNIT Plantago debilis

Conservation Status Assessment There is not enough information available to enable meaningful reassessment of Plantago debilis.

Further Information ¾ Cunningham, GM, Mulham, W, Milthorpe, P & Leigh, J 1992, of Western New South Wales, Inkata Press, Sydney. ¾ Curtis, WM 1967, The Student’s Flora of Tasmania, Part 3, Government Printer, Hobart. ¾ Kirkpatrick, JB, Barker, P, Brown, MJ, Harris, S & Mackie, R 1994, The Reservation Status of Tasmanian Vascular Communities, Tasmanian Conservation Trust Incorporated, Hobart.

Tasmanian Distribution (As per Threatened Species Unit records, June 2003)

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Legend # Precision < 499 m # Precision > 500 m # Records Pre 1950

1:25 000 Map Sheets Blue Tier, Brilliant, Dublin Town, Falmouth, Fingal, Friendly, Ironhouse, Picaninny, Seymour, St Helens Date last modified: 25/08/2004

Threatened Flora of Tasmania