The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Veronica catarractae

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'.
catarractae: lover of the waterfall

Common Name(s)

Fiordland Parahebe

Current Conservation Status

2012 - Not Threatened

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 - Not Threatened
2004 - Not Threatened

Authority

Veronica catarractae G.Forst.

Family

Plantaginaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

PARCAT

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Synonyms

Parahebe catarractae (G.Forst.) W.R.B.Oliv., Parahebe catarractae (G.Forst.) W.R.B.Oliv. subsp. catarractae

Distribution

Endemic. New Zealand: South Island (Fiordland).

Habitat

Coastal to montane. Along river banks, where it is usually rooted in sand and silt, also in rock crevices, cliffs, and on recent landslide debris

Features

Subshrub, 50-500 mm tall. Old stems brown or red-brown. Branches ascending to erect. Branchlets brown or red-brown or green or purplish. Vegetative internodes 5-50 mm long. Stem pubescence bifarious, eglandular pubescent (antrorse, curved). Leaves decussate, erecto-patent to spreading. Lamina linear or lanceolate or oblanceolate or elliptic (rarely), 20-120 × 5-30 mm. Upper surface surface of leaves green, dull. Under surface of leaves whitish, dull. Leaf hairs numerous to dense, along midrib above (especially near base), uniseriate eglandular and glandular with short 1-celled stalk and small vertically divided head. Apex acute. Base cuneate. Margin glabrous, serrate. Marginal teeth or lobes in 5-25 pairs. Petiole 2-10 mm long. Inflorescence racemose, unbranched, 60-250 mm long at fruiting, with 12–40 flowers. Indumentum of peduncle, rachis, and pedicels moderately dense to very dense. Eglandular hairs of inflorescence antrorse, rust brown. Peduncle 3-100 mm long, eglandular-pubescent and glandular-pubescent; hairs in 1 row. Rachis 40-120 mm long, eglandular-pubescent and glandular-pubescent, hairs in 1 row above each bract. Bracts alternate, acute to acuminate, glabrous or ciliate with both glandular and eglandular hairs (rarely), linear. Bract margins entire. Pedicels suberect at anthesis, incurved at fruiting, 9-23 mm long, eglandular-pubescent or glandular-pubescent; hairs in 1 row (or rarely more-or-less uniform). Flowers: Calyx 4-lobed, 2.5-4.0 mm long. Calyx lobes lanceolate or ovate, acuminate (by folding). Calyx hairs on margins only, eglandular or mixed eglandular and glandular. Calyx lobe margins entire. Corolla white at anthesis. Nectar guides evident, present on posterior and lateral corolla lobes. Colour ring and nectar guides purple. Corolla throat yellow. Corolla 10-14 mm diameter. Corolla tube 1.0-1.5 mm long, 1 mm wide, hairy inside, hairs short. Corolla lobes glabrous. Posterior corolla lobe circular, obtuse, 5-7 × 4-6 mm. Lateral corolla lobes circular, obtuse, longitudinally folded around stamens, 5-7 × 5-7 mm. Anterior corolla lobe elliptic or rhomboid, obtuse, 5.0-6.0 × 2.5-3.5 mm. Stamen filaments white, 3-6 mm long, narrowed at base. Anthers magenta, when dry and dehisced 1 mm long. Nectarial disc ciliolate. Ovary ellipsoid, obtuse to emarginate, glabrous, 0.8-1.0 mm long. Style 4-6 mm long. Stigma 0.2 mm wide. Capsules weakly flattened emarginate, 3.5-5.0 × 3.5-5.0 mm, 1.5-2.0 mm thick, glabrous. Septicidal split of capsule extending to base. Loculicidal split of capsule extending ¾ way to base. Seeds strongly flattened, smooth-surfaced, broadly ellipsoid or discoid, pale brown, 0.8 × 0.7–0.8 mm

Similar Taxa

Allied to Veronica lanceolata from which it is readily distinguished by its greater overall dimensions, leaves which are green above and white beneath rather than the same colour on either side, and by the pedicel hairs which are aligned in one row

Flowering

October - January

Flower Colours

Violet / Purple,White

Fruiting

November - May

Propagation Technique

Easily grown from cuttings, rooted pieces and fresh seed. Popular in cultivation although it dislikes drought and humidity.

Threats

Not Threatened

Chromosome No.

2n = 42

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

This page last updated on 21 Jun 2016