Veronica rigidula var. sulcata
Common names
hebe
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Simplified description
Low bushy shrub bearing pairs of oval leaves inhabiting ultramafic rocks in the Marlborough Sounds. Leaves variable, to 28.2mm long, longer than wide, more or less u-shaped in cross section. Leaf bud with narrow gap at base. Flowers white, on 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, old stems brown; branchlets green, pubescent, hairs bifarious; internodes 1.0-5.5. mm. Leaf bud distinct, weakly tetragonous in cross-section; sinus narrow and acute. Leaves erect to patent; elliptic or broadly elliptic, coriaceous, sulcate (m-shaped in cross-section), 9.4–28.2 × 3.2–8.7 mm, ratio of leaf length to width 2.5–3.5; 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 < bracts, 0.3–2.0 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
Closely related to Veronica rigidula var. rigidula from which it differs by its weakly tetragonous leaf bud (in cross section); elliptic to broadly elliptic leaves which are distinctly m-shaped in cross-section; and also by the more distinctly pedicellate flowers.
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: South Island (mainly D’Urville Island but also on Editor Hill and Lookout Peak in the Marlborough Sounds)
Habitat
A plant of montane habitats where it grows in low scrub and other sparsely vegetated sites on rubble slopes, rock outcrops and in and around boulders along the melange of the mineralised zone leading from D’Urville Island south through the Marlborough Sounds to Mt Dun
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: CD, RR
Threats
A range-restricted endemic which is known from only three main populations. At none of these it is very common. There are no obvious threats but the population of V. rigidula var. sulcata is so small that there would be a high risk of extinction if it experienced any harmful effects.
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Plantaginaceae
Synonyms
Hebe rigidula var. sulcata Bayly et Kellow
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
November – February
Fruiting
December – October
Propagation technique
Easily grown from cuttings. Can be rather slow growing. An attractive shrub though rarely flowers as heavily as Veronica rigidula var. rigidula.
Other information
Where To Buy
Not Commercially Available.
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
sulcata: From the Latin sulcus ‘furrow’, meaning grooved
Chromosome number
2n = 40
Previous conservation statuses
2017 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: CD, RR
2012 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: CD, RR
2009 | Threatened – Nationally Critical | Qualifiers: RR, St
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.
Attribution
Fact Sheet by Peter J. de Lange (1 August 2006). Description modified from: Bayley and Kellow (2006)
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Veronica rigidula var. sulcata Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/veronica-rigidula-var-sulcata/ (Date website was queried)