Veronica zygantha
Biostatus
Native – Endemic taxon
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, DPS, DPT, RR
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
Flower colours
White, Yellow
Detailed description
Subshrub (softly woody) to 150 mm tall. Stems dark brown or grey. Branches decumbent to ascending. Branchlets brown to red-brown. Vegetative internodes 1–20 mm long. Stems uniformly eglandular-pubescent to glandular puberulent. Leaves erecto-patent to spreading. Lamina elliptic, orbicular or spathulate, 3–10 × 2–9 mm, adaxial surface glossy, bright green; abaxial surface dull, pale green. Leaf hairs absent. Apex rounded or truncate. Base cuneate. Margin glabrous, crenate or bluntly serrate; teeth or lobes in 0-5 pairs. Petiole 3–5 mm long. Inflorescence 1–(3)-flowered, 8–15 mm long at fruiting. Indumentum of peduncle, rachis, and pedicels moderately dense. Eglandular hairs of inflorescence, white, antrorse (curved). Peduncle 1–12 mm long, eglandular-pubescent. Rachis 0–20 mm long, eglandular-pubescent. Bracts alternate obtuse, glabrous, spathulate, margins entire. Pedicels 1–3 mm long, eglandular-pubescent. Flowers white at anthesis, throat white or yellow. Nectar guides absent. Calyx 4-lobed, 4–8 mm long, glabrous, lobes oblanceolate to obovate, subacute to obtuse, margins entire, glabrous. Corolla 5–6 mm diameter, tube 1.5–3.0 × 1.5–2.0 mm wide, glabrous. Stamen filaments white, 0.5–2.0 mm long. Anthers purple, 1.0–1.5 mm long. Nectarial disc glabrous. Ovary globose, obtuse, glabrous, 1–2 mm long. Style 0.5–3.0 mm long. Capsules strongly flattened, didymous, 4–5 × 3.5–5.0 mm, 1.5–2 mm thick, glabrous; septicidal split extending to base; loculicidal split extending ½-way to base. Seeds ellipsoid, pale brown, 1.0–1.3 × 0.6–0.7 mm.
Distribution
Endemic. New Zealand: South Island (Fiordland—Freeman Burn, Fowler Pass, Doon River).
Habitat
Subalpine to alpine. Inhabiting screes, talus slopes and moraines often in fine sandy debris accumulated among boulders. Often on east-facing boulder screes and talus slopes below cliffs.
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Synonyms
Parahebe laxa (G.Simpson et J.S.Thomson) W.R.B.Oliv., Parahebe plano-petiolata var. laxa (G.Simpson et J.S.Thomson) Ashwin, Veronica laxa G.Simpson et J.S.Thomson nom. illegit.
Endemic taxon
Yes
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Flowering
November–January
Fruiting
December–April
Propagation technique
Difficult. Best grown in a rock garden or alpine house in a sunny position with a cool root run.
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’.
zygantha: From the Greek xugeo ‘to be joined’ and anthos ‘flower’
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.
VERZYG
Chromosome number
2n = 84
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 | Not Threatened
2009 | Not Threatened
2004 | Not Threatened
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Garnock-Jones PJ, Lloyd DG. 2003. A taxonomic revision of Parahebe (Plantaginaceae) in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany 42(2): 181–232. https://doi.org/10.1080/0028825X.2004.9512899.
Attribution
Fact Sheet by P.J. de Lange (5 October 2006). Description adapted from Garnock-Jones and Lloyd (2003).
NZPCN Fact Sheet citation
Please cite as: de Lange, P.J. (Year at time of access): Veronica zygantha Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/veronica-zygantha/ (Date website was queried)