Veronica hulkeana subsp. evestita
Synonyms
Heliohebe hulkeana subsp. evestita Garn.-Jones
Family
Plantaginaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Native
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
Yes
Endemic family
No
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Chromosome number
2n = 42
Current conservation status
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2017 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2012 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants.
Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – an interim threat classification status has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
- Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2017 . 2018. Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, John W. Barkla, Shannel P. Courtney, Paul D. Champion, Leon R. Perrie, Sarah M. Beadel, Kerry A. Ford, Ilse Breitwieser, Ines Schönberger, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Peter B. Heenan and Kate Ladley. Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2017 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DP, RR
Previous conservation statuses
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: RR
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon
2004 | Not Threatened
Brief description
Bushy small shrub bearing fleshy pairs of red edged glossy oval toothed leaves inhabiting limestone areas near Kaikoura. Twigs hairless (except occasionally near tip). Leaves 30-50mm long by 15-20mm wide on a 10-20mm long stalk that widens towards leaf. Flowers pinkish, in clusters to 50cm long.
Distribution
Endemic. South Island – Marlborough
Habitat
Rocky gorges, cliffs, and outcrops, on limestone.
Detailed description
Stems usually glabrous throughout, rarely sparsely puberulent when young, hairs glandular and eglandular; eglandular stem hairs recurved. Leaves erecto-patent; lamina lanceolate, rhomboid, or rarely elliptic, (15-)30-50( -60) x (8-)15-20(-25) mm; apex acute, apiculate, or rarely obtuse; marginal teeth in 5-10(-15) pairs; adaxial surface glabrous or with minute twin-headed glandular hairs on midrib; abaxial surface glabrous. Petiole (8-)10-20(-25) mm long. Rachis glabrous basally, individual rachises of racemes glandular puberulent or sparsely puberulent. Pedicels glabrous or glandular-puberulent, 0-1 mm long. Calyx 2-3 mm long; lobes lanceolate, ovate, or deltoid, acuminate or acute, glandular-ciliolate or with mixed glandular and eglandular cilia. Corolla tube cylindric to narrowly funnelform; lobes glabrous. Stamen filaments inserted about middle of corolla tube, approximately1 mm long. Nectarial disk ciliolate or glabrous. Ovary glabrous or eglandular or glandular hairy (hairs short), 0.7-1.0 x 0.6-0.9 mm, 0.5-0.7 mm thick. Capsule 3.5-4.5 mm long, 2.0-2.5(-3.0) mm thick, usually glabrous, sometimes with unicellular eglandular or glandular hairs. Loculicidal split of capsule extending 1/3-way to base
Similar taxa
The absence of a dense puberulent covering, particularly in the distal parts of the inflorescence, distinguishes Veronica hulkeana subsp. evestita from Veronica hulkeana subsp. hulkeana. When hairs are present on rachises, they are sparse and often glandular. The base of the calyx is glabrous or has a few sparse hairs, which may be glandular. The calyx lobes are ovate to lanceolate with acute to acuminate apices; their marginal cilia are more sparse and include some glandular hairs. The leaves tend to be more ovate to lanceolate than in Veronica hulkeana subsp. hulkeana, and the inflorescence tends to be more graceful, with flowers more distantly spaced.
Flowering
November
Fruiting
January-February (March)
Etymology
veronica: Named after Saint Veronica, who gave Jesus her veil to wipe his brow as he carried the cross through Jerusalem, perhaps because the common name of this plant is ‘speedwell’. The name Veronica is often believed to derive from the Latin vera ‘truth’ and iconica ‘image’, but it is actually derived from the Macedonian name Berenice which means ‘bearer of victory’.
Attribution
Description adapted by M. Ward from Garnock-Jones, P.J. 1993: Heliohebe (Scrophulariaceae Veroniceae), a new genus segregated from Hebe. New Zealand Journal of Botany 31: 331. © The Royal Society of New Zealand, reprinted by permission of Taylor & Francis Ltd, www.tandfonline.com on behalf of The Royal Society of New Zealand.
References and further reading
Garnock-Jones, P.J. 1993: Heliohebe (Scrophulariaceae Veroniceae), a new genus segregated from Hebe. New Zealand Journal of Botany 31: 323-339.
Garnock-Jones, P.J.; Albach, D.; Briggs, B.G. 2007: Botanical names in Southern Hemisphere Veronica (Plantaginaceae): sect. Detzneria, ect. Hebe, and sect. Labiatoides. Taxon 56: 571-582
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: Ward, M.D. (Year at time of access): Veronica hulkeana subsp. evestita Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/veronica-hulkeana-subsp-evestita/ (Date website was queried)