Veronica quadrifaria
Common names
whipcord hebe
Biostatus
Native
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Simplified description
Low-growing, green, leafless square twigs inhabiting eastern South Island mountains north of the Waitaki River. Leaves scale-like, triangular, overlapping, clasping stem, margin with pale hairs (lens needed). Flowers white, in clusters of 2-6 towards tips of twigs.
Detailed description
Subshrub to 0.3 m tall, of semiwhipcord form. Branches decumbent; internodes (0.15-) 0.2- 0.7 (-0.8) mm; branchlets, including leaves, (1.3-) 1.5-2.4 (-2.7) mm wide, square in transverse section (or almost so, especially older pans of branchlets, away from the apex); connate leaf bases glabrous; leaves not readily abscising, persistent along the stem for some distance. Leaf bud tightly surrounded by recently diverged leaves. Leaves connate, appressed; lamina deltoid (often broadly so) or semi-circular (more rarely); apex obtuse to acute; venation not evident in fresh leaves; margin ciliate; lower surface light to dark green. Inflorescences with 2-6 flowers, lateral, unbranched, 0.3-0.5 (-0.75) cm; peduncle 0.1-0.35 cm; rachis hairy or glabrous. Bracts opposite and decussate, free (usually) or connate, deltoid (and lowermost often keeled beneath), obtuse. Flowers male or female (on different plants). Pedicels absent or if evident then always shorter than bracts, 0-0.5 mm, glabrous or hairy. Calyx 1.3-2.2 mm; lobes deltoid or ovate or oblong, obtuse, with mixed glandular and eglandular cilia (glandular cilia may not be apparent, stalk cell may be very short), rarely hairy outside. Corolla tube glabrous; tube of male flowers approximately 1-1.1 mm, shorter than calyx; tube of female flowers 0.5-1.2 x approximately 1 mm, contracted at base (and more or less expanded around middle), shorter than or equalling calyx; lobes white or pink at anthesis, elliptic or ovate or rhomboid (and auriculate above contracted base), obtuse, suberect to recurved, longer than corolla tube, papillate inside. Stamen filaments remaining erect, 1.1-1 .4 mm (female approximately 1.1 mm; male approximately 1.4 mm); anthers magenta, 1-1.1 mm; sterile anthers of female flowers magenta, approximately 0.5 mm. Nectarial disc glabrous or ciliate. Ovary ovoid or ellipsoid, 0.4-0.6 mm; ovules 4-5 per locule, in 2 vertical rows on placenta; style 1.5-2.2 mm; stigma usually larger in female flowers. Capsules angustiseptate, obtuse, 1.6-2.2 mm long, 1.3-2 mm thick, septicidal split extending 1/3 to all way to base, loculicidal split extending ½-¾-way to base. Seeds weakly flattened to more or less trigonal, ellipsoid, brown, 1-1.2 x 0.5-0.7 mm, micropylar rim 0.2-0.3 mm. 211 = 42.
Similar taxa
Most similar to V. tetrasticha; presently the two species are differentiated by the profile of the transverse section of branchlets, cruciform in V. tetrasticha, square in V. quadrifaria. However branchlets vary between the two extremes and differences are not always clear-cut.
Distribution
South Island: Eastern mountains of the Main Divide, from Black Birch Range, Marlborough, to Kirkliston Range, south Canterbury.
Habitat
Alpine rock outcrops and scree.
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 | Not Threatened
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Plantaginaceae
Synonyms
Mitrasacme cheesemanii Buchanan, Hebe cheesemanii (Buchanan) Cockayne et Allan, Leonohebe cheesemanii (Buchanan) Heads
Taxonomic notes
Possibly intergrades with V. tumida, and differences from V. tetrasticha are not always clear-cut.
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
December-January
Fruiting
December-February
Life cycle
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.
VERQUA
Chromosome number
2n = 42
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | Not Threatened
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Bayly, M.J. & Kellow, A.V. 2006: An illustrated guide to New Zealand Hebes. Wellington, Te Papa Press. 296 pp.
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 quadrifaria Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/veronica-quadrifaria/ (Date website was queried)