Veronica kellowiae

Detailed description

Subshrub or spreading low shrub to 0.15 m tall. Branches decumbent, old stems brown; branchlets red­brown or purplish or green, puberulent, hairs bifarious; internodes 0.9-5 (-7.5) mm; leaves not readily abscising, persistent along the stem for some distance. Leaf bud lightly surrounded by recently diverged leaves. Leaves decussate to subdistichous, connate (sometimes barely), erecto-patent to recurved; lamina elliptic to obovate (often narrowly), slightly fleshy, more or less flat or slightly concave, 3.3-7.5 (-9.5) x (1.5-) 2-5.5 mm; apex subacute to rounded (often dimpled at apex); midrib sometimes evident in fresh leaves, slightly thickened below; margin not cartilaginous, not thickened, glabrous or glandular-ciliate (sometimes minutely), sometimes tinged red, entire or shallowly toothed; upper surface green to dark green, dull or slightly glossy, with many stomata, glabrous; lower surface green to dark green, dull or slightly glossy; petiole hairy along margins. Inflorescences usually terminal and lateral (i.e. a pedunculate terminal spike subtended by 2 (-4) lateral spikes; more than 2 laterals are present only on Mount Lyford and Mount Terako specimens) or sometimes only terminal (and often with a few sterile bracts at base), unbranched, 0.8-1.7 (-2) cm; peduncle 0.15-0.4 cm; rachis 0.35-0.5 (-1.1) cm. Bracts opposite and decussate or lowermost pair opposite, then subopposite or alternate above, connate or free, elliptic to ovate or oblong, subacute to obtuse. Flowers hermaphrodite or female (on different plants). Pedicels absent. Calyx 2.5-4 mm; lobes elliptic to lanceolate or narrowly oblong, subacute (usually) or obtuse. Corolla tube glabrous; tube of hermaphrodite flowers 2.8-3.5 x 1.4-1.5 mm, cylindric, shorter than (usually) to longer than calyx; tube of female flowers approximately 3 x 1.5 mm, cylindric, equalling to shorter than calyx; lobes white at anthesis, ovate, obtuse, patent or becoming recurved, more or less equalling corolla tube. Stamen filaments remaining erect, 0.5-1 mm; anthers magenta, 1-1.2 mm; sterile anthers approximately 0.7 mm. Ovary ovoid (often very narrowly), approximately 2 mm; ovules 8-12 (-18) per locule; style 2-3.5 mm. Capsules acute to subacute, 3.7-4 x 1.8-2 mm, loculicidal split extending 1/4-way to base. Seeds flattened, ellipsoid, pale brown, 0.7-0.8 x 0.5-0.6 mm, micropylar rim 0.1-0.3 mm.