The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Veronica cupressoides

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'.

Common Name(s)

cypress hebe

Current Conservation Status

2012 - Threatened - Nationally Endangered

Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2012
The conservation status of all known New Zealand vascular plant taxa at the rank of species and below were reassessed in 2012 using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS). This report includes a statistical summary and brief notes on changes since 2009 and replaces all previous NZTCS lists for vascular plants. Authors: Peter J. de Lange, Jeremy R. Rolfe, Paul D. Champion, Shannel P. Courtney, Peter B. Heenan, John W. Barkla, Ewen K. Cameron, David A. Norton and Rodney A. Hitchmough. File size: 792KB

Previous Conservation Status

2009 - Threatened - Nationally Endangered
2004 - Threatened - Nationally Vulnerable

Qualifiers

2012 - RF
2009 - RF

Authority

Veronica cupressoides Hook.f.

Family

Plantaginaceae

Brief Description

Rare bushy shrub bearing masses of thin green slightly knobbly leafless twigs that have clusters of pinkish flowers at tips. Leaves scale like, 1-2mm long, triangular, spaced along and clasping the stem. Flowers with long projecting filaments. Fruit a dry rounded capsule.

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

LEOCUP

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Trees & Shrubs

Synonyms

Hebe cupressoides (Hook.f.) Andersen, Hebe cupressoides (Hook.f.) Cockayne et Allan nom. illeg., Leonohebe cupressoides (Hook.f.) Heads

Distribution

Endemic. Eastern South Island, occurring historically recorded from 35 sites extending from Marlborough south to Otago.

Habitat

Veronica cupressoides is a plant of grey scrub communities and occurs across a range of sites from those that have been recently influenced by disturbance (especially river flooding and slips) to more stable sites such as rock outcrops and bouldery moraine.

Features

Aromatic bushy shrub up to 3 × 2 m. Branches erect, whip-like; branches green, grey-green, glaucous; internodes 1.5–6.5 mm; branchlets, including leaves 1.0–3.7 mm wide; leaf bases connate, hairy or glabrous; nodal joint distinct, exposed; leaves not readily abscising, persistent. Leaves connate, appressed; lamina 0.8–2.0 × 0.4–2.0 mm; deltoid, apex acute to obtuse; margin ciliolate or glandular-ciliolate, lower surface glaucous or glaucescent or yellowish-green, glabrous or covered in minute glandular hairs. Juvenile leaves pinnatifid, glabrous or puberulent. Inflorescences 2–22-flowered, terminal, unbranched, 3–40 mm long, rachis 2–33 mm long, glabrous or hairy. Bracts opposite and decussate, shortly connate or free, ovate or deltoid, obtuse or subacute, externally hairy, hairs glandular. Flowers hermaphrodite, mostly sessile. Calyx 1.3–2.0 mm long, 2–4-lobed; lobes acuminate or emarginate, glandular ciliolate, especially externally. Corolla tube 0.9–1.4 × 0.8–1.1 mm, internally hairy; lobes longer than corolla tube, inner surface papillate, cream, white, pale blue, pink or mauve at anthesis, white, cream, pink or mauve with age, obtuse, suberect to recurved, corolla throat pink, mauve or white. Stamen filaments 2.1–3.0 mm long, coloured cream, pink or mauve when young, fading white; anthers 0.9–1.2 mm, reddish-pink to purplish–mauve. Ovary 0.8–1.1 mm long, ovoid or globose, apex didymous. Capsules 1.9–2.4 × 0.9–1.4 mm, angustiseptate, grooved along septum, emarginate, septicidal split extending ⅓-way to base, loculicidal split extending up to ⅓-way to base. Seeds 0.7–1.1 × 0.4–0.6 mm, weakly flattened, ovoid to ellipsoid-oblong or obovoid, pale brown.

Similar Taxa

Veronica cupressoides is superficially similar to V. propinqua from which it differs by its finer branches, blue-green branchlets and wide spaces between scale leaves. Furthermore the foliage of V. cupressoides is very aromatic smelling strongly of turpentine. In contrast Veronica propinqua has white flowers, non aromatic foliage, green branchlets, with a shorter gap between the pairs of scale leaves.

Flowering

November - February

Flower Colours

Blue,Violet / Purple

Fruiting

March - May

Propagation Technique

Easy from semi-hardwood and hardwood cuttings and fresh seed. In cultivation flowering plants often produce numerous spontaenous seedlings. Rarely flowers in lowland, warmer or more humid climates.

Threats

Habitat loss has been a key factor in the historical decline of Leonohebe cupressoides. The dominant threats now are recruitment failure caused by invasive herbaceous plants that rapidly occupy the disturbed sites this species requires to germinate in. Grazing animals, including domestic stock and wild species such as rabbits and hares can seriously damage or kill plants. Small populations are vulnerable to local extinction through disturbance such as river flooding, and fire – particularly as this species is extremely flammable wet or dry.

Chromosome No.

2n = 42

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

Yes

Endemic Family

No

Life Cycle and Dispersal

Seeds are wind dispersed (Thorsen et al., 2009).

This page last updated on 16 Feb 2016