The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Veronica lyallii

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'.
lyallii: Named after David Lyall (1817-1895), 19th century Scottish naturalist and surgeon with the Royal Navy, who explored Antarctica, New Zealand, the Arctic and North America and was a lifelong friend of Sir Joseph Hooker.

Common Name(s)

Lyalls Parahebe, Lyall's Speedwell

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 lyallii Hook.f.

Family

Plantaginaceae

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

PARLYA

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Herbs other than Composites

Synonyms

Hebe lyallii (Hook.f.) Allan, Parahebe lyallii (Hook.f.) W.R.B.Oliv.

Habitat

Lowland to subalpine (rarely alpine). Common along stream and river banks and beds, screes, slips, cliffs, seeps, and in similar stony sites

Features

Subshrub to 300 mm tall. Stems brown, red-brown or grey. Branches prostrate to erect. Branchlets brown to grey or purplish. Vegetative internodes 1-20 mm long. Stems bifariously or uniformly eglandular-pubescent. Leaves erecto-patent to recurved. Lamina ovate, oblong, elliptic, orbicular, deltoid, rhomboid, rarely linear, 3-15 × 2-10 mm. Upper surface of leaves dull, green, bronze green, yellowish green or dark green; under surface of leaves dull, green, pale green or pinkish. Leaf hairs sparse or absent, along midrib above, eglandular. Apex rarely acute or subacute or obtuse or rounded. Base cuneate or truncate. Margin glabrous, crenate or rarely serrate, marginal teeth or lobes in 1-10 pairs. Petiole 1-3 mm long. Inflorescence racemose, 3-15-flowered, unbranched, 50-200 mm long at fruiting. Peduncle, rachis, and pedicels glabrous or moderately densely eglandular hairy. Peduncle 20-120 mm long, glabrous, eglandular-pubescent or glandular-pubescent. Rachis 10-100 mm long, eglandular-pubescent or glandular-pubescent. Bracts alternate, linear, lanceolate, elliptic or ovate, subacute, glabrous, glandular-ciliate or eglandular-ciliate, margins entire. Pedicels 8-25 mm long, eglandular-pubescent or glandular-pubescent. Flowers with corolla, corolla tube and lobes pigmented white, pale blue or pink at anthesis, and corolla throat white, pale blue, pink or yellow. Nectar guides evident, obscure or absent, if present magenta, pink or purple. Colour ring magenta, pink or purple. Calyx 4-lobed, 2–4(–4.5) mm long, calyx lobes elliptic, oblanceolate, acuminate, acute or subacute; calyx hairs on margins only, upper surface eglandular, glandular or mixed eglandular-glandular, lower surface glabrous, with minute glandular dots; lobe margins entire. Corolla 8-15 mm diameter, tube 1.5-2.0 × 1.0-1.5 mm wide, hairy inside, hairs short; lobes glabrous. Stamen filaments white, 2.5-4.0 mm long. Anthers white or pink, 1.0-1.5 mm long. Nectarial disc ciliolate. Ovary ovoid or ellipsoid, obtuse, glabrous, 1.0–1.3 mm long. Style (3–) 3.5–4.5(–5) mm long. Capsules weakly flattened), emarginate, 3-5 × 3-4 mm, glabrous. Septicidal split of capsule extending to base, loculicidal split extending ¼-way to base. Seeds ellipsoid or obovoid, pale brown to dark brown, 0.6-0.8 × 0.5-0.6 mm

Flowering

September - February

Flower Colours

Blue,White

Fruiting

November - June

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 16 Feb 2016