Veronica simulans
Common names
hebe
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Simplified description
Bushy shrub bearing pairs of oval leaves, paler underneath, that often have small notches in the margin and have small hairs on the upper surface of the central vein inhabiting mountains of northern South Island. Leaf bud with small gap between base of leaves.
Flower colours
Violet/Purple, White
Detailed description
Shrub or spreading low shrub, to 1 m tall. Branches erect, or ascending; old stems dark brown (mostly), or grey; youngest branchlets brown, or red-brown, or green; internodes 1.0–7.5 mm long; stem pubescence bifarious, eglandular. Leaf bud about as long as mature leaves; sinus broad and acute. Leaves free at base, erecto-patent to patent; lamina obovate, oblanceolate or elliptic, coriaceous, concave, 6.4–19.6 × 3.5–7.9 mm; apex obtuse to acute; base cuneate; evident venation in fresh leaves consisting of midrib only; midrib thickened beneath and depressed to grooved above; margin usually slightly thickened, rounded (or ± squarish), minutely papillate and sometimes glandular-ciliate, entire or crenate (may vary on one plant); upper surface green, slightly glossy or dull, with many or with few or without evident stomata, hairy along midrib; lower surface glaucous or glaucescent or light green, dull, glabrous. Petiole 1.0–2.5 mm long, hairy above (along midrib). Inflorescences with 4–16 flowers, lateral, racemose and unbranched (mostly) or sometimes racemose and compound with 1–2 branches at base, 9–31 mm long, longer than (mostly) or about equal to subtending leaves; peduncle 1–65 mm long, pubescent with a mixture of eglandular and glandular hairs; rachis 4–21 mm long, pubescent with a mixture of eglandular and glandular hairs; bracts opposite and decussate, usually free or connate (only sometimes, and then only connected by a very narrow ridge), subacute or acute or acuminate, ciliolate with both glandular and eglandular hairs, lanceolate or deltoid; pedicels < or
Similar taxa
Veronica simulans is most similar to V. cryptomorpha and V. cockayneana from which V. simulans is mostly distinguished by the presence of small teeth on the margins of the leaves (though some southerly populations lack these). When toothed leaves are present, these will readily distinguish plants of Veronica simulans from V. cockayneana. Veronica simulans is further distinguished by its chromosome number (2n = 80, 2n = 40 in V. cryptomorpha and 2n = 120 in V. cockayneana)
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: South Island (north-west Nelson south east to north Canterbury in and about the main divide)
Habitat
Subalpine shrubland and tussock grassland, usually in shallow mountain soils or on rock strewn ground, rubble slopes and on rock outcrops.
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.
- 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
Genus
Family
Synonyms
Hebe crenulata Bayly, Kellow et de Lange
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
November - January
Fruiting
December - May
Life cycle and dispersal
Seeds are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).
Propagation technique
Easily grown from cuttings and fresh seed. An attractive shrub for a rock garden. Dislikes humidity.
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.
VERSIM
Chromosome number
2n = 80
Previous conservation statuses
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.
- 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.
2017 | Not Threatened
2012 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Bayly M.; Kellow A. 2006: An Illustrated Guide to New Zealand Hebes.Te Papa Press: Wellington
Bayly, M.J.; Kellow, A.V.; Mitchell, K.A.; Markham, K.R.; de Lange, P.J.; Harper, G.E.; Garnock-Jones, P.J.; Brownsey, P.J. 2002: Descriptions and Flavonoid Chemistry of New Taxa in Hebe sect. Subdistichae (Scrophulariaceae). New Zealand Journal of Botany 40(4): 571-602.
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 Prepared by P.J. de Lange (1 November 2009). Description based on Bayly et al. (2002) and Bayly & Kellow (2006)
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Veronica simulans Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/veronica-simulans/ (Date website was queried)