The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Veronica lanceolata

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'.
lanceolata: Lance-shaped

Common Name(s)

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 lanceolata Benth.

Family

Plantaginaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

PARLAN

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Synonyms

Parahebe catarractae subsp. lanceolata (Benth.) Garn.-Jones, Veronica diffusa (Hook.f.) Hook.f., Veronica catarractae var. diffusa Hook.f., Parahebe catarractae subsp. diffusa (Hook.f.) Garn.-Jones, Veronica irrigans Kirk, Parahebe lanceolata (Benth.) Garn.-Jones

Distribution

Endemic. New Zealand: North Island (Coromandel Peninsula, Waikato (Pirongia, Tawarau, Herangi Range, King Country); Taranaki (Mt Messenger, Waitara River to Oakura River and Kaitake Range); Main Divide from East Cape to Wellington; Volcanic Plateau; Manawatu and Wanganui districts) South Island (North-West Nelson (Wakamarama Range)

Habitat

Coastal to montane. Usually rheophytic, growing within the floodline of streams and rivers or within river gorges. Also colonising damp seepages on silt and sandstone cliffs, and on basalt and limestone bluffs

Features

Subshrub to 450 mm tall. Old stems brown, red-brown or grey. Branches prostrate to erect. Branchlets brown or red-brown. Vegetative internodes (5–)8–20(–70) mm long. Stems bifariously or uniformly eglandular pubescent rarely glabrous. Leaves erecto-patent or spreading or recurved. Lamina linear, lanceolate, oblanceolate, ovate, obovate, oblong, elliptic, orbicular deltoid or rhomboid, 5.0-100.0 × 1.5-25.0 mm. Upper surface of leaves glossy or dull, green, bronze-green, light green or dark green, under surface dull, green, bronze green, pale green or pinkish. Leaf hairs eglandular-glandular, sparse, scattered or absent, along midrib above. Apex acute, subacute or acuminate. Base cuneate, subcordate or cordate. Margin glabrous, serrate (teeth or lobes in 1-15 pairs). Petiole 1-6 mm long. Inflorescence racemose, 4-30-flowered, unbranched, 30-350 mm long at fruiting. Indumentum of peduncle, rachis, and pedicels absent to very dense. Peduncle 15-120 mm long. Rachis 15-140 mm long, glabrous, eglandular-pubescent or glandular-pubescent. Bracts alternate, linear, lanceolate, elliptic, ovate or narrowly deltoid, obtuse, subacute, acute or acuminate, margins entire. Pedicels 5-25 mm long, glabrous, eglandular-pubescent or glandular-pubescent. Flowers white at anthesis. Nectar guides evident, present on posterior and lateral corolla lobes. Colour ring and nectar guides magenta. Corolla throat yellow. Calyx 4-lobed, 2-4 mm long, linear, lanceolate, elliptic, ovate, obovate, oblong, acuminate to obtuse, margins entire, surfaces either glabrous or eglandular, glandular, mixed eglandular-glandular on margins undersides surface. Corolla 8-15 mm diameter; tube 0.5-1.5 × 1 mm, hairy inside, hairs short or papillate. Corolla lobes glabrous. Stamen filaments white, 2-4 mm long. Anthers pink or magenta, 0.8-1.5 mm long. Nectarial disc ciliolate. Ovary ellipsoid, subacute or obtuse, glabrous, 0.8-1.0 mm long. Style 3.5-7.0 mm long. Capsules weakly flattened, emarginate, 2.5-4.5 × 2.5-4.0 mm, 2.5-3.5 mm thick, glabrous. Septicidal split of capsule extending to base, loculicidal split of capsule extending 1/3-½-way to base. Seeds obovoid or discoid, straw-yellow or pale brown or brown, 0.5-1.1 × 0.5-0.9 mm

Similar Taxa

Veronica lanceolata is most similar to V. senex from which it is chiefly distinguished by its much smaller size and more gracile growth habit, green, bronze-green, light green or dark green, glossy or dull, lanceolate to ovate rather than normally dull grey-green, elliptic leaves, which are usually glabrous rather than finely eglandular-pubescent, and by the glabrous rather than short, straight, pale hairy calyces, ovary and capsules.

Flowering

September - April

Flower Colours

Violet / Purple,White

Fruiting

November - August

Propagation Technique

Easily grown from cuttings, rooted pieces and fresh seed.

Threats

Not Threatened

Chromosome No.

2n = 42

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

This page last updated on 16 Feb 2016