Plantago cylindrica Forssk.

Perennial small herb, up to 15 cm tall. Stems very short, tufted, densely or loosely branched; branches 10-13 cm long with spirally arranged leaves. Leaves 8-13 cm long, 2-15 mm broad, linear, linear-lanceolate to lanceolate, attenuated downward and dilated at the bases, narrowed at the apices, densely covered with greyish-white, long appressed hairs, sometimes lanate to flocculent. Scapes axillary, often numerous; peduncles usually shorter than the leaves, erect to arcuate, ± up to 9 cm long, greyish villose or tomentose. Spikes 2-7 cm long, short in the beginning, later elongated, lax below. Bracts 4-5 mm long, roundish-elliptic to broad rotundate, slightly concave, apices nearly truncate, sometimes obtuse with slightly produced carina, margins villose, towards the apex sometimes the carina short-pilose, rest glabrous, carina thick. Anterior sepals more or less unequal, elliptic to narrow elliptic, 3-3.5 mm long, posterior sepals elliptic, margins at the upper part villose to pilose. Corolla tube 3 mm long, lobes lanceolate to ovate, ± acute, 2-2.75 mm long. Seeds thick, elliptic, yellowish brown, 2.25 mm long.

Distribution: Egypt, Israel, southern Iran to Pakistan.