Annual herb. Stems usually 20-30 (-60) cm tall, loosely covered with short glandular hairs, branches axillary. Leaves opposite, flat, up to 6 (-8) cm long, (2-) 3-4 mm broad, narrow-linear to linear-lanceolate, attenuated upwards, apices obtuse, entire to rarely slightly dentate. Inflorescence opposite in the axils of the upper leaves. Peduncles 5-6 cm long, subpatent. Spikes dense, many flowered, 1-1.5 (-1.75) cm long, ovate-elliptic. Lower parts of the two lower most bracts rotundate-ovate, up to 4 mm long, then abruptly contracted and produced in to a narrow, thick, 4-6 mm rarely to 10 mm long acuminate upper part, covered with long white, glandular hairs; upper bracts very distinct from the lower ones, rotundate ovate to obovate, apices nearly truncate. Sepals 3.5-4 mm long, anterior concave, oblique elliptic-ovate to obovate, near the base narrow cuneate, obtuse, covered dorsally with short glandular hairs; posterior concave, ovate-lanceolate, short ciliate, dorsally covered on the keel by short, hard hairs. Corolla lobes 2 mm long, narrow-ovate, acute. Seeds 2.5-2.75 mm long, light reddish-brown, shining, narrow-elliptic.

Type: not indicated.

Distribution: Europe, North Africa, south-west Asia, eastwards to Iran and the mountains of Tian Shan.

An alien known from the only stray record cited above. There seems to be overlapping of characters between this and the previous species, Plantago afra, as already mentioned above also.