Veronica notialis
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Simplified description
Low growing shrub with erect twigs bearing pairs of small green thick fleshy leaves inhabiting Fiordland mountains. Leaves 3-5 mm long, about as wide as long, tapering to tip and leaf stalk, margin hairy. Flowers white, in a group of 2-4 at tip of twigs.
Flower colours
White
Detailed description
Spreading low shrub to 0.2 m tall. Branches decumbent to erect, old stems brown to grey; branchlets green or red-brown or brown, pubescent, hairs bifarious; internodes 1-2 (-3) mm; leaf decurrencies evident and extended for length of internode; leaves either abscising above nodes or not readily abscising. Leaf bud tightly surrounded by recently diverged leaves; sinus broad and acute. Leaves very shortly connate, erecto-patent; lamina ovate to circular or deltoid (leaves spathulate when shape of petiole is considered), rigid, flat to concave, (2-) 3-5 (-6) x (2-) 3-4 (-6) mm; apex subacute to obtuse or subapiculate; midrib slightly thickened below (forming keel), but not strongly evident in fresh leaves; margin minutely papillate and ciliate (often with tangled, branching hairs); upper surface dark green to yellowish-green, glossy, with many stomata, glabrous; lower surface dark green to yellowish-green, glossy; petiole 1-1.5 (-2) mm. Juvenile and reversion leaves entire, ciliate. Inflorescences with 2 (-4) flowers, lateral, unbranched, 0.6-1.35 cm, longer than subtending leaves (if including the length of flowers); peduncle 0-0.2 cm; rachis 0-0.2 cm. Bracts opposite and decussate, connate, lanceolate to deltoid, subacute. Flowers hermaphrodite. Pedicels always shorter than bracts, approximately 1 mm, glabrous or hairy. Calyx 4-6 mm; lobes oblanceolate, acute, minutely eglandular ciliate (with branching hairs). Corolla tube glabrous, approximately 3 x 1 mm, slightly contracted at mouth, equalling calyx; lobes white at anthesis, circular or elliptic (anterior only), obtuse, suberect to recurved, equalling corolla tube. Stamen filaments remaining erect, 2 mm; anthers pink to magenta or mauve. 1.5-2 mm. Ovary globose to ellipsoid, approximately 1 mm; ovules 12-14 per locule: style 1.8-3 mm. Capsules angustiseptate, didymous, 4.5-5 mm long, 1.5-2 mm wide, approximately 4 mm thick, septicidal split extending ¾-way to base, loculicidal split extending to base. Seeds weakly flattened, ellipsoid, pale brown, 1-1.5 x 0.8-1.2 mm.
Distribution
South Island - Mountains of Fiordland, from Caswell Sound in the northwest to near Lake Hauroko in the southeast.
Habitat
Alpine grassland or low shrubland.
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.
Please note, threat classifications are often suggested by authors when publications fall between NZTCS assessment periods – these interim threat classification statuses has not been assessed by the NZTCS panel.
- 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: Sp, DPS, DPT
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Plantaginaceae
Synonyms
Hebe pauciflora G.Simpson et J.S.Thomson, Leonohebe pauciflora (G.Simpson et J.S.Thomson ) Heads
Taxonomic notes
A distinctive species, recognised by having; entire, petiolate leaves with a fringe or fine, white, tangled and sometimes branched hairs on the margins; lateral inflorescences; large flowers with broad corolla lobes; and angustiseptate capsules. Its relationship to other members of Veronica is not clear. It resembles species of “Buxifoliatae” (with which it was included by Moore, in Allan 196 I) and “Connatae” in vegetative characters but differs in capsule and flower shape (and in these, presumably plesiomorphic, features resemble some members of Veronica sp. formally known as Parahebe).
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
December-March
Fruiting
January-March
Life cycle and dispersal
Seeds are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Other information
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.
VERNOL
Chromosome number
2n = 42
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DP, Sp
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: Sp
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DP
2004 | Range Restricted
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Allan, H. H. 1961. Flora of New Zealand. Vol. 1. Wellington: Government Printer.
Bayly, M.J., Kellow, A.V. 2006. An illustrated guide to New Zealand Hebes. Wellington, N.Z.: Te Papa press pg. 288.
Thorsen, M. J.; Dickinson, K. J. M.; Seddon, P. J. 2009. Seed dispersal systems in the New Zealand flora. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 11: 285-309
Attribution
Description adapted by M. Ward from Bayly & Kellow (2006).
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: Ward, M.D. (Year at time of access): Veronica notialis Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/veronica-notialis/ (Date website was queried)