Veronica arganthera
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Current conservation status
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.
- Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel Department of Conservation. Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2023 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: RR, Sp
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Simplified description
Bushy shrub bearing narrow pairs of leaves with a finely hairy margin (lens needed) inhabiting limestone bluffs in Fiordland. Leaves 15–30 mm long by 6–11 mm wide. Leaf bud with small narrow gap. Flowers white, in short spike to 5 cm long. Anthers pale.
Flower colours
White
Detailed description
Shrub, often rounded or spreading, to 0.5 m tall. Branches ascending to erect; old stems brown; youngest branchlets green; internodes 2–8 mm long, bifariously eglandular-pubescent. Leaf bud about as long as mature leaves, sinus narrow, acute. Leaves: lamina oblong to elliptic, coriaceous or subcoriaceous, m-shaped in transverse section, 12–38 × 5–11 mm; apex subacute and mucronate; base cuneate; midrib thickened beneath and depressed to grooved above; secondary veins not evident; margin entire, translucent, bevelled or rounded, minutely papillate or denticulate; upper surface green or yellowish green, dull, hairy along midrib; lower surface pale green, dull, glabrous. Petiole 3–4 mm long, uniformly eglandular-pubescent. Inflorescences with 15–25 flowers, lateral, racemose, simple or with 1–2 branches at base, 20–50 mm long, about = or > subtending leaves, flowers opening in acropetal sequence, usually all developing to maturity; peduncle 8–10 mm long, eglandular-pubescent; rachis 150 mm long, eglandular pubescent; bracts opposite and decussate at least below, sometimes becoming alternate above, subacute to acute, eglandular-ciliolate, linear to lanceolate; pedicels < bracts, eglandular-pubescent, erecto-patent at flowering and fruiting, 0.5–5.0 mm long. Flowers hermaphrodite. Calyx terete, 4-lobed, equally divided, 2.5–3.5 mm long; lobes all similar, lanceolate to elliptic, obtuse, eglandular-ciliolate; margins scarious. Corolla white; tube glabrous, 1–2 mm long, c. 1 mm wide, cylindric, > calyx; lobes glabrous, > tube; posterior lobe circular to elliptic, obtuse, erecto-patent; lateral lobes elliptic or ovate, obtuse, erecto-patent, cuneate at base; anterior lobe ovate, obtuse, patent to recurved, not enfolding style; corolla throat white. Stamens: filaments white, 4-6 mm long; anthers white, c 1.5 mm long. Nectarial disc glabrous. Ovary ovoid, glabrous, 1.7–2.0 mm long, bilocular; style 5-7 mm long, glabrous, white; stigma capitate. Capsules acute, dark brown, 3–4 × 2.5–3.5 mm, glabrous; septicidal split extending to base, loculicidal split extending ¼–⅓-way to base; capsule valves with pronounced midrib. Seeds 0.6-1.0 x 0.5-0.8 mm, straw yellow to pale brown.
Similar taxa
Veronica arganthera resembles V. cockayneana from which it differs by its larger, dull green, concolorous leaves, short stem pubescence, very short eglandular hairs on leaf margins (glabrous or glandular-hairy in V. cockayneana), white anthers, and shorter capsules. Veronica arganthera is also similar to V. subalpina. However, Veronica subalpina has glossy leaves, lacks a sinus and has strictly simple (unbranched) inflorescence, spiralled flowers, magenta anthers, and larger seeds.
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: South Island (eastern areas of Fiordland National Park).
Habitat
A subalpine scrub developed on mostly south facing limestone bluffs, outcrops and cliff faces, in and around sink holes and on limestone talus and colluvium, usually at or near the tree limit.
Threats
A narrow range limestone endemic that is known from very few sites and adult plants. It is vulnerable at many sites to deer browsing. Seedlings though common rarely reach maturity because of these browsing animals.
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Synonyms
Hebe arganthera Garn.-Jones, Bayly, W.G.Lee et Rance
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
December–May
Fruiting
January–August
Life cycle and dispersal
Seeds are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Easy from cuttings. However, very slow growing and will not flower in lowland humid climates, where it prone to hebe leaf spot (Septora exotica). Does best in a cool, semi-shaded, free draining situation.
Other information
Where To Buy
Not Commerically Available
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’.
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
VERARG
Chromosome number
2n = 40
Previous conservation statuses
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2022-2023 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) – more information about this can be found on the NZTCS website. This report includes replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Previous assessments can be found here.
- Conservation status of vascular plants in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2023. 2024. Peter J. de Lange, Jane Gosden, Shannel P. Courtney, Alexander J. Fergus, John W. Barkla, Sarah M. Beadel, Paul D. Champion, Rowan Hindmarsh-Walls, Troy Makan and Pascale Michel 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: RR, Sp
2012 | Threatened – Nationally Endangered | Qualifiers: RR, Sp
2009 | Threatened – Nationally Endangered | Qualifiers: RR, Sp
2004 | Range Restricted
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Garnock-Jones PJ, Bayly MJ, Lee WG, Rance BD. 2000. Hebe arganthera (Scrophulariaceae), a new species from calcareous outcrops in Fiordland, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany 38(3): 379–388. https://doi.org/10.1080/0028825X.2000.9512690.
Thorsen MJ, Dickinson KJM, Seddon PJ. 2009. Seed dispersal systems in the New Zealand flora. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 11: 285–309. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ppees.2009.06.001.
Attribution
Fact Sheet by Peter J. de Lange (18 August 2006). Description adapted from Garnock-Jones et al. (2000)
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Veronica arganthera Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/veronica-arganthera/ (Date website was queried)