Veronica urvilleana
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
Simplified description
Bushy shrub bearing pairs of glossy narrow oval leaves inhabiting the Marlborough Sounds area. Leaves 11-18mm long by 4-6mm wide, u-shaped in cross section, narrowing to tip and base. Leaf bud without gap at base. Flowers white, in spikes to 3cm long towards tip of twigs.
Detailed description
Bushy shrub to 1.5 m tall. Branches erect (usually) or prostrate, old stems grey; branchlets green, pubescent, hairs bifarious; internodes (0.5-) 2-6 (-10) mm; leaf decurrencies evident. Leaf bud distinct; sinus absent. Leaves erect to erecto-patent; lamina elliptic (usually) or lanceolate or oblanceolate, coriaceous. concave, (3-) 11-18 (-24) x (2-) 4-6 (-8) mm; apex acute to subacute: midrib slightly thickened below and depressed to grooved above; margin glabrous and sometimes minutely papillate; upper surface green, usually glossy, with many stomata, glabrous or hairy along midrib; lower surface green, dull or glossy. Inflorescences with 5-23 flowers, lateral, unbranched, 1-3.1 cm; peduncle (0.3-) 0.4-0.5 (-1) cm; rachis 0.7-2.5 cm. Bracts alternate, elliptic, subacute or acute. Flowers hermaphrodite or female (on different plants). Pedicels (1-) 2-3 (-4) mm. Calyx 2.2-2.9 mm; lobes elliptic or ovate, obtuse or subacute. Corolla tube sparsely hairy inside; tube of hermaphrodite flower 1.8-2.2 x 1.8-2.2 mm, contracted at base, longer than calyx; lobes white at anthesis, elliptic (sometimes broadly), obtuse (posterior sometimes emarginate), suberect to patent, longer than corolla tube. Stamen filaments slightly incurved at apex in bud, 3.7-4.7 mm; anthers dark magenta or purple, 1.7-2 mm. Ovary 1-1.3 mm; ovules approximately 8-9 per locule; style 5-8 mm. Capsules subacute, (3.5-) 4-5.3 x 2.2-3 mm, loculicidal split extending ¼-way to base. Seed characters not recorded.
Similar taxa
Distinguished from most other small-leaved “Occlusae” (see Bayley & Kellow 2006) by the combination of a shrubby habit, leaves that are glossy above, glabrous leaf margins, glabrous, ovaries and fruit, and corolla tubes that are hairy within and longer than the surrounding calyces. It has sometimes been confused with V. stenophylla var. stenophylla and oliveri (which also occur on D’Urville Island and/or nearby parts of the outer Marlborough Sounds), but these, in comparison, have leaves that are duller, and ,very prominently pitted on the lower surface, longer corolla tubes (2.5-4.9 mm) that are usually glabrous within, and calyces that usually have one eglandular cilia. The affinities of V. urvilleana are not immediately apparent, but it has a general similarity to V. subalpina and, among the small-leaved “Occlusae”. the chromosome number 2n = 120 is shared only with V. evenosa (although this number could have developed independently in both species), The species shows considerable variation in leaf shape and size, even within one population (WELT 81684), Other Veronica’s of D’Urville Island are Veronica stricta var. stricta, V. rigidula var. sulcata, V. elliptica, V. stenophylla and V. subfulvida.
Distribution
D’Urville Island and nearby areas of eastern Nelson, South Island, possibly as far south as Mt Starveall, Bryant Range.
Habitat
It grows chiefly in manuka scrub and open shrubland.
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: RR
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Synonyms
Hebe urvilleana W.R.B.Oliv.
Taxonomic notes
The occurrence of the species in the Bryant Range is supported by two specimens collected by A. P. Druce in Jan 1981 (CHR 387363, 387364), These are sterile, and identified only on the basis of vegetative features. Flowering specimens from this area might allow more confident identification of these plants
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
January-February
Fruiting
February-April (-November)
Life cycle and dispersal
Seeds are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).
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’.
urvilleana: After D’Urville Island, which is named in honour of Jules Sébastien César Dumont d’Urville (23 May 1790 - 8 May 1842) - a French explorer, naval officer and rear admiral, who explored the south and western Pacific, Australia, New Zealand and Antarctica. This species was first collected and originally described on D'Urville Island
Chromosome number
2n = 120
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: RR
2012 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: RR
2009 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon
2004 | Range Restricted
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Bayly M. and 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
Description adapted by M. Ward from Bayly & Kellow (2006).