Veronica rigidula var. rigidula
Common names
hebe
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Simplified description
Low bushy shrub bearing pairs of narrow leaves inhabiting the Richmond Range area. Leaves variable, to 31.4mm long, narrow, u-shaped in cross section. Leaf bud with narrow gap between leaves at base. Flowers white, on very short stalks, in spikes or sprays to 3.2cm long.
Flower colours
Violet/Purple, White
Detailed description
Low growing, openly branched, bushy shrub 0.3-0.6 m tall. Branches erect or ascending, old stems brown; branchlets green, pubescent, hairs bifarious; internodes 1.0-5.5. mm. Leaf bud distinct, terete to weakly tetragonous in cross-section; sinus narrow and acute. Leaves erect to patent; lamina usually narrowly elliptic, elliptic oblanceolate, thin to coriaceous, upper surface concave, 7.7-31.4 × 2.1-7.4 mm, ratio of leaf length to width (2.7-4.8); apex acute or subacute; margin minutely papillate; upper surface green, dull or slightly glossy, glabrous or minutely hairy along midrib (especially toward base); lower surface glaucous or glaucescent; petiole 2.0-3.2 mm long, glabrous or minutely hairy along margins (especially on youngest leaves) and /or rarely hairy above. Inflorescences with 10-40 flowers, lateral, usually tripartite or rarely with more than 3 branches or unbranched, 14-32 mm long, > or < subtending leaves; peduncle 3-12 mm; rachis 7-28 mm. Bracts opposite and decussate, or opposite and decussate below and becoming alternate above, ovate or deltoid, obtuse or subacute. Flowers hermaphrodite. Pedicels absent or up to 0.8 mm long. Calyx 1.5-2.5 mm; lobes elliptic, oblong or ovate, obtuse or subacute, with mixed glandular/eglandular cilia or wholly eglandular. Corolla tube glabrous 2.5-4.0 × 1.7 mm, cylindric, > calyx; lobes white or pale mauve at anthesis, elliptic, ovate or oblong, obtuse rarely emarginate, suberect to recurved, < corolla tube. Stamen filaments 3-4 mm long; anthers buff or faintly tinged pink, 1.7-2.0 mm. Ovary 0.9-1.0 mm; style 5-7 mm. Capsules obtuse or subacute, 2.4-4.0 × 1.8-2.5 mm, loculicidal split extending ¼-½ way to base. Seeds flattened, ellipsoid, discoid or irregular, brown to pale brown, 0.8-1.6 × 0.7-1.1 mm.
Similar taxa
Veronica rigidula var. rigidula differs from var. sulcata by the circular (in cross-section) rather than weakly tetragonous leaf bud, leaves which are distinctly concave above rather than m-shaped in cross-section, and mostly narrowly elliptic.
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: South Island (mostly Richmond and Bryant Ranges)
Habitat
Lowland to montane within sparsely vegetated sites on rock outcrops, crevices, ledges, rubble slopes, boulder falls, or within ravines and river gorges
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
Threats
A Naturally Uncommon, range-restricted though sparsely distributed species. Though as a rule never that common at any particular site, most populations occur on protected land and there are no known threats.
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Plantaginaceae
Synonyms
Hebe rigidula (Cheeseman) Cockayne et Allan var. rigidula
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
November – February
Fruiting
December – October
Life cycle and dispersal
Seeds are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Easily grown from cuttings and fresh seed. A very attractive freely flowering shrub that deserves to be more widely cultivated
Other information
Cultivation
Occasionally available from specialist native plant nurseries
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’.
rigidula: Engraved
Chromosome number
2n = 40
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: Sp
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: Sp
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon
2004 | Range Restricted
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Bayly, M.; Kellow, A. 2006: An illustrated guide to New Zealand Hebes. Te Papa Press, Wellington.\
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
Fact Sheet by Peter J. de Lange (1 August 2006). Description modified from Bayley and Kelllow (2006)
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Veronica rigidula var. rigidula Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/veronica-rigidula-var-rigidula/ (Date website was queried)