Veronica Jovellanoides - a New Threatened Plant From Northern New Zealand
A mysterious plant first collected by Oratia Native Plant Nurseryman Geoff Davidson from a forest remnant near Riverhead, West Auckland in November 2007, and known since then as Parahebe “Bamboozle” has now finally been described as Veronica jovellanoides.
In November 2007 Geoff Davidson and Sharon Graham discovered what they thought was Jovellana repens growing in a small forest reserve near the Riverhead, West Auckland. As Jovellana repens has never been recorded from the Auckland region before Geoff took a small piece to grow at his nursery. This was shown to Peter de Lange in late November who suggested that the plant was either a Veronica or a Parahebe but certainly not a Jovellana. When it flowered in late December 2007 its identity was clear – the flowers were very similar to those of New Zealand Parahebe. Images were sent to Phil Garnock-Jones who did his pioneer taxonomic work on that genus, sequences obtained and chromosome counts made. Collectively this information suggested that the mystery plant was a hitherto unrecognised species of Parahebe/Veronica. As several surveys during 2008 failed to find any wild plants it was obvious that this enigmatic “new entrant” to the New Zealand indigenous flora hall of fame was also highly threatened. To achieve some certainty of its future, as a first step its exact identity needed to be resolved, and this would require taxonomic clarification. Photo by Jeremy Rolfe.
In the September issue of the New Zealand Journal of Botany 47(3), Parahebe “Bamboozle” has been described as a new endemic, Veronica jovellanoides (Davidson et al. 2009). Readers may be surprised to see its placement in Veronica but in the view of the authors the real issue here is providing a name for the plant not continuing an academic squabble over generic and higher order issues. Further this species, like Parahebe canescens (V. lilliputiana) is completely herbaceous and aside from the magenta markings on the flowers it fits very nicely within Veronica s.s.
From a conservation perspective there are now three plants known from the wild – all in one tiny site vulnerable to weeds and trampling from people. These plants along with the one collected in November 2007 are all that remains from which to save this species from extinction. Luckily the plant grows easily from rooted pieces and seed. As it is very attractive it would be great to see it more widely cultivated as a safe guard against its possible loss from the wild. Further, now that the remarkable plant has been formally recognised the Department of Conservation had prepared a management plan to improve its status in the wild.
As an aside Davidson et al. (2009) also build on the work of others in formerly reinstating Veronica plebeia into the indigenous New Zealand flora.
Peter J. de Lange
Reference
Davidson, G.R.; de Lange, P.J.; Garnock-Jones, P.J. 2009: Two additional indigenous species of Veronica (Plantaginaceae) from northern New Zealand: V. jovellanoides, a new and highly endangered species, and V. plebeia R.Br. New Zealand Journal of Botany 47: 271-279.
Posted: 28/09/2009