Veronica stenophylla var. hesperia
Common names
hebe
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Simplified description
Bushy shrub bearing pairs of very narrow leaves that have small pits near margin (lens needed) inhabiting limestone near the Northwest Nelson coast. Leaves to 62 mm long by 8 mm wide. Flowers white, in spikes to 95 mm long.
Flower colours
White
Detailed description
Spreading low or bushy shrub (often openly branched) to 2 m tall. Branches erect. old stems grey; branchlets olive-green or red-brown, bifariously to uniformly puberulent; internodes (1-) 4-13 (-24) mm; leaf decurrencies evident (usually, weakly), or obscure. Leaf bud distinct; sinus absent. Leaves oblong-elliptic, linear-lanceolate or lanceolate, (16-) 25- 45 (-62) x (3.5-) 4-8 mm; upper surface usually smooth, mostly pitted only toward the margin but sometimes with obvious pits toward middle of lamina, stomata sparse except at apex and sometimes along either side of midrib; margins broad. glabrous (usually) or with very fine hairs toward the apex; lower surface green (often paler than upper), conspicuously pitted with small depressions that each contain a twin-headed glandular hair. Inflorescences with (35-) 55-130 (-170) flowers, lateral, unbranched, 32-64 mm long; peduncle (0.5-) 1-1.5 (-2.1) cm; rachis (2-) 4.5-6 (-9) cm. Bracts alternate, ovate or deltoid, acute (mostly) or obtuse. Flowers, hermaphrodite or female (on different plants). Pedicels longer than or equal to bracts, (0.5-) 1-3 (-5) mm, hairy or glabrous. Calyx 1.5-2.5 mm; lobes ovate or oblong, obtuse to acute, eglandular ciliate (usually) or with mixed glandular and eglandular cilia (glandular hairs often with a single, rounded cell at the apex; twin-headed hairs, when present, usually sparse). Corolla tube hairy within, 1.8-3 (-3.5) mm long, tube of hermaphrodite flowers (1.8) 3-4.9 x 1.3-2 mm, contracted at base and cylindric or expanded in lower half, longer than calyx; lobe white or tinged mauve at anthesis, ovate (often broadly) or circular or elliptic, obtuse (posterior sometimes emarginate), suberect to recurved (mostly patent), shorter than corolla tube. Stamen filaments incurved at apex in bud, 2.5-4.4 mm; anthers magenta, 1-1.5 mm. Ovary approximately 0.8-0.9 mm; ovules 4-10 per locule; style 3-7 mm. Capsules acute or obtuse. (2-) 2.5-3.5 x (0.8-) 1.5-3 mm, loculicidal split extending ¼-¾-way to base. Seeds flattened, more or less ellipsoid to oblong, straw-yellow to pale brown, 0.9-1 .5 (-2) x 0.7-0.9 (-1.1) mm, micropylar rim 0.2-0.3 mm.
Similar taxa
Key distinguishing features include: the presence of small pits, at least on the lower leaf surface (usually conspicuous under a dissecting microscope, each containing a recessed glandular hair); leaf margins that are usually smooth and glabrous (only occasionally hairy); corolla tubes that are longer than calyces and usually glabrous within; and calyx cilia only rarely including twin-headed glandular hairs.
Similar to:
- V. traversii, is distinguished by the combination of non-pitted leaves, minutely hairy leaf margins, and hairs inside the corolla tubes.
- V. parviflora (in which it was included, as var. angustifolia, by Moore, in Allan 1961), is distinguished by having often smooth (only sometimes pitted) leaf surfaces, minutely hairy leaf margins, corolla tubes that are hairy within and calyx cilia always including twin headed glandular hairs.
- V. strictissima distinguished by having corolla tubes equal to or slightly exceeding surrounding calyces.
- V. stenophylla var. oliveri and V. stenophylla var. stenophylla can be distinguished by having corolla tubes usually less than 3 mm long, glabrous or (very rarely) hairy within; branchlets glabrous or bifariously to (rarely) uniformly puberulent; upper surface of leaves with few to many stomata.
Distribution
South Island - occurs in near-coastal areas in northwest South Island, between Cape Farewell and the Heaphy River.
Habitat
Limestone bluffs.
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 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: Sp, DPT, RR
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Synonyms
Hebe stenophylla var. hesperia Bayly et Garn.-Jones
Taxonomic notes
Collections of V. stenophylla var. hesperia vary in leaf size, with small- and larger-leaved plants apparently occurring in close proximity.
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
December-April (-September)
Fruiting
January-July (-December)
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’.
stenophylla: From the Greek steno ‘narrow’ and phyllum ‘leaf”, referring to the narrow leaves
hesperia: From the Greek hesperos ‘evening’ (i.e. western), referring to its westerly distribution
Chromosome number
2n = 40
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 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: DP, RR, Sp
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: RR, Sp
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon
2004 | Range Restricted
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Allan, H.H. 1961: Flora of New Zealand. Vol. 1. Wellington: Government Printer.
Bayly, M.J., Kellow, A.V. 2006: An illustrated guide to New Zealand Hebes. Wellington, Te Papa Press, pp 170-172.
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 stenophylla var. hesperia Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/veronica-stenophylla-var-hesperia/ (Date website was queried)