The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Veronica albicans

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'.
albicans: From the Latin albico 'to whiten', meaning whitening

Common Name(s)

Hebe

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 albicans Petrie

Family

Plantaginaceae

Brief Description

Low bushy shrub with blue-green oval to long narrow pointed pairs of leaves and short spikes of white flowers inhabiting Northwestern Nelson. Twigs finely hairy. Leaves vary, to 42mm long and 16mm wide. Leaf bud with no gap at base. Flower spikes to 5cm long, on distinct stalk.

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

HEBALB

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Trees & Shrubs

Synonyms

Hebe albicans (Petrie) Cockayne, Hebe recurva G.Simpson et J.S.Thomson

Distribution

Endemic. South Island - Nelson, from Mt Burnett in the north to the Glasgow Range in the south, and as far east as the Bryant Range

Habitat

It grows in a range of habitats, usually on rocks (often calcareous), from just above sea-level (e.g. on the banks of the Aorere River) to subalpine and penalpine situations.

Features

Openly branched, spreading low or small bushy shrub to 1 m. tall. Branches decumbent or pendent or erect, old stems brown; branchlets green to red-brown, pubescent, hairs bifarious (sometimes restricted to tufts at nodes) or uniform; internodes (1.9-) 2.5-9 (-15.5) mm; leaf decurrencies evident or obscure. Leaf bud distinct; sinus absent. Leaves erecto-patent to recurved; lamina oblong or elliptic or ovate or lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, fleshy or coriaceous or subcoriaceous or thin, flat or concave, 11- 42 x 3.4-16.3 mm; apex obtuse to acute; base prominently amplexicaul to truncate or cuneate; 2 lateral secondary veins evident at base of fresh leaves; midrib slightly thickened below and depressed to grooved above; margin sometimes cartilaginous, glabrous; upper surface glaucous or glaucescent, dull, with many stomata, glabrous or hairy along midrib (near base); lower surface glaucous or glaucescent. Inflorescences with 15-45 flowers, lateral, unbranched, 1.7-5.1 cm, longer than or about equal to subtending leaves; peduncle 0.4-1.4 (-1.7) cm; rachis 0.7-3.9 cm. Bracts alternate, lanceolate or elliptic or ovate, acute or subacute. Flowers hermaphrodite. Pedicels (0.5-) 0.8- 2.5 (-3.5) mm. Calyx 1.5- 3 (-4) mm; lobes lanceolate or elliptic, acute to subacute. Corolla tube hairy inside or glabrous, (2.5-) 3-6 x 1.2-1.8 mm, cylindric, longer than calyx; lobes white at anthesis, ovate or elliptic (sometimes broadly), obtuse, suberect to recurved, shorter than corolla tube. Stamen filaments sometimes incurved at apex in bud, 3-5.5 mm; anthers magenta, 1.5-2.4 mm. Ovary ovoid (sometimes narrowly), rarely sparsely hairy, 0.8-1.2 mm; ovules 7-16 per locule; style 4.5- 9 mm. Capsules subacute or obtuse or slightly emarginate, 2.5-4.5 x 2-3.2 mm, rarely hairy, loculicidal split extending ¼- ½-way to base. Seeds flattened (sometimes strongly), ellipsoid to discoid, brown, 1-1.8(-2) x 0.8-1.1 mm, micropylar rim 0.2-0.6 mm.

Flowering

(November) December-March (May)

Flower Colours

Violet / Purple,White

Fruiting

(January) February-August (November)

Threats

Not Threatened

Chromosome No.

2n = 40 or 80.

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

No

Endemic Family

No

Life Cycle and Dispersal

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

This page last updated on 25 Oct 2019