Veronica densifolia

Detailed description

Perennial, rigid, tightly (to loosely) compacted low-growing subshrub with many ascending to erect branches arising from woody horizontal stem 1–5mm thick; 2–5 mm high. Branches 4.0–100.0 × 2.7–13.0 mm, glabrous or sometimes densely hairy. Leaves decussate, imbricate, tightly appressed to suberect with internodes of varying lengths, sessile, olive to medium green, or brown, rust or yellow especially near margins, becoming light green, light brown and/or purple near the base, widest at or below middle, 1.95–6.36 × 0.69–2.97 mm, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, triangular, rarely narrowly obovate or trilobed, with obtuse to subacute apex, entire (rarely bi- or trilobed) with concave curvature, often keeled, and with thickened recurved upper margins. Leaf trichomes eglandular and unicellular, and sometimes also glandular and multicellular, 0.1–0.9 mm long. Leaf inner surface glabrous, sometimes appearing punctate. Leaf outer surface glabrous and papillate upper half, sometimes densely punctate. Leaf margins with isolated trichomes or sparsely ciliate on lower ¼ to ½, glabrous on upper ½ to ¾. Bracts 2, 3.34–5.48 × 0.83–2.01 mm, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, rarely oblanceolate or narrowly lanceolate, sometimes concave and keeled, with thickened recurved upper margins, and obtuse to subacute apex. Bract trichomes eglandular and unicellular, sometimes also glandular and multicellular, 0.1–0.6 mm long. Bract inner surface glabrous. Bract outer surface papillate and glabrous, but bases sometimes densely hairy. Bract margins with isolated trichomes or densely ciliate on lower ½ to ⅔ of margins, glabrous above. Flowers solitary, sessile, axillary near branch tips. Calyx 3.95–7.40 mm long, persistent around capsule. Calyx lobes divided equally ½ to ¾ to base, 2.75–5.80 × 0.91–2.31 mm, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, rarely ovate or oblanceolate, with obtuse to subacute apex. Calyx lobe trichomes eglandular and unicellular, sometimes also glandular and multicellular, 0.1–0.6 mm long. Calyx lobe inner surface glabrous and papillate, rarely with isolated eglandular hairs on upper ½. Calyx lobes glabrous on outer surface, or with isolated or densely distributed trichomes on lower ½ to ¾, sometimes base of calyx also hairy. Calyx lobe margins with isolated trichomes or densely ciliate on lower ½ to 2/3, glabrous above. Corolla mauve, pale purple, or blue, 4.50–12.46 × 2.51–15.44 wide, funnel-form. Corolla tube shorter than or equal to calyx, 2.13–5.89 × 1.10–6.01mm. Corolla lobes 2.60–8.35 × 1.94–5.79 mm suberect to spreading, narrowly to broadly obovate, spathulate, with obtuse apex. Filaments 2, 1.16–4.27mm long. Anthers 1.02–1.98 × 0.58–1.35. Style 3.07–7.40mm long, included to about mid-petal lobe. Stigma 0.15–0.37mm wide, capitate, sometimes flattened. Ovary 0.64–1.58 × 0.47–0.93 mm, glabrous. Nectary disc 0.20–0.33 mm high. Capsule laterally compressed, bilobed, with septicidal and loculicidal dehiscence, 2.75–5.14 × 1.68–4.25 mm, 1.23–1.98 mm thick, glabrous. Seeds up to 46 per capsule, 0.52–1.13 × 0.27–0.84 mm wide.