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  4. Veronica scutellata

Veronica scutellata

Waimakariri Basin, ephemeral wetland.<br>Photographer: Jane Gosden, Date taken: 13/12/2023, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0'>CC BY-NC-SA</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Korowai-Torlesse Tussocklands Park, Canterbury.<br>Photographer: Melissa Hutchison, Date taken: 07/05/2022, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Korowai-Torlesse Tussocklands Park, Canterbury.<br>Photographer: Melissa Hutchison, Date taken: 07/05/2022, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Waimakariri Basin, ephemeral wetland.<br>Photographer: Jane Gosden, Date taken: 13/12/2023, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0'>CC BY-NC-SA</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Waimakariri Basin, ephemeral wetland.<br>Photographer: Jane Gosden, Date taken: 13/12/2023, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0'>CC BY-NC-SA</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Waimakariri Basin, ephemeral wetland.<br>Photographer: Jane Gosden, Date taken: 13/12/2023, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0'>CC BY-NC-SA</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Waimakariri Basin, ephemeral wetland.<br>Photographer: Jane Gosden, Date taken: 13/12/2023, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0'>CC BY-NC-SA</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Goldney Saddle, Waimakariri.<br>Photographer: Jane Gosden, Date taken: 22/03/2024, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0'>CC BY-NC-SA</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Goldney Saddle, Waimakariri.<br>Photographer: Jane Gosden, Date taken: 22/03/2024, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0'>CC BY-NC-SA</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Goldney Saddle, Waimakariri.<br>Photographer: Jane Gosden, Date taken: 22/03/2024, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0'>CC BY-NC-SA</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Goldney Saddle, Waimakariri.<br>Photographer: Jane Gosden, Date taken: 22/03/2024, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0'>CC BY-NC-SA</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
Lake Coleridge, growing with Glyceria.<br>Photographer: Jane Gosden, Date taken: 12/12/2023, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0'>CC BY-NC-SA</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>
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Common names

marsh speedwell

Biostatus

Exotic

Category

Vascular

Structural class

Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites

Simplified description

Sprawling perennial herb up to 30 cm tall with opposite narrow stalkless leaves and small (c.1 cm across) white flowers.

Flower colours

Violet/Purple, White

Detailed description

Glabrous herb with upright stems c.5 to 20 cm in length. The leaves are sessile, entire or sparsely toothed 2-6 cm x 0.1-1.2 cm. The flowers are in racemes that are slender and spreading, alternating in opposite pairs of leaves. Flowers are small (6mm across), and whitish in colour with purple veins. Capsule 3-4.5 mm wide.

Similar taxa

Distinguished by its alternate flower stalks, linear leaves and white flowers with purple veins.

Distribution

Found locally in Thames, Waikato, Manawatu, Wairarapa, Canterbury, Dunedin and the West Coast.

Habitat

Shallow water, swamps and margins of waterways.

Conservation status

Not applicable

Detailed taxonomy

Family

Plantaginaceae

Authority

Veronica scutellata L.

Ecology

Flowering

Summer to autumn

Fruiting

Autumn

Year naturalised

1924

Origin

Temperate Eurasia

Reason for introduction

Probably a soil seed contaminant or contaminant of ornamental pond plants.

Control techniques

Not controlled in New Zealand.

Wetland plant indicator status rating

Information derived from the revised national wetland plant list prepared to assist councils in delineating and monitoring wetlands (Clarkson et al., 2021 Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research Contract Report LC3975 for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council). The national plant list categorises plants by the extent to which they are found in wetlands and not ‘drylands’. The indicator status ratings are OBL (obligate wetland), FACW (facultative wetland), FAC (facultative), FACU (facultative upland), and UPL (obligate upland). If you have suggestions for the Wetland Indicator Status Rating, please contact: [Enable JavaScript to view protected content]

OBL: Obligate Wetland

Almost always is a hydrophyte, rarely in uplands (non-wetlands).

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.

VERSCU

Referencing and citations

References and further reading

Johnson P.N., and Brooke P.A. 1989: Wetland plants in New Zealand. DSIR Field Guide, DSIR Publishing, Wellington. 319 pp.

Popay I. et al. 2010: An illustrated guide to common weeds of New Zealand, third edition. NZ Plant Protection Society Inc. 416 pp.

Attribution

Factsheet prepared by Paul Champion and Deborah Hofstra (NIWA).

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