The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Veronica colensoi

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'.
colensoi: Named after William Colenso (7 November 1811 - 10 February 1899) who was a Cornish Christian missionary to New Zealand, and also a printer, botanist, explorer and politician.

Common Name(s)

Hebe

Current Conservation Status

2012 - At Risk - Naturally Uncommon

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 - At Risk - Naturally Uncommon
2004 - Not Threatened

Qualifiers

2012 - RR, Sp

Authority

Veronica colensoi Hook.f.

Family

Plantaginaceae

Brief Description

Low growing blue-green shrub bearing pairs of leaves which are m-shaped in cross section and have notches in the margin inhabiting rocky sites in south-central North Island. Leaves 14-27mm long by 4.5-9mm wide. Leaf bud with long narrow gap between leaves at base. Flower spike to 4.5cm long.

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

HEBCOL

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Trees & Shrubs

Synonyms

Hebe colensoi (Hook.f.) Cockayne, Veronica hillii (Colenso), Hebe hillii (Colenso) A.Wall, Hebe colensoi var. hillii (Colenso) L.B.Moore

Distribution

Central North Island - in the upper catchments of the Moawhango, Mohaka, Rangitikei, Taruarau and Ngaruroro rivers.

Habitat

Grows on rock outcrops on bluffs, gorges and riverbanks.

Features

Openly branched, small bushy shrub or spreading low shrub to 0.4 (-0.75) m tall. Branches erect, old stems brown or grey; branchlets initially green, becoming brown, glabrous or, very sparsely puberulent, hairs bifarious; internodes (1.5-) 2-5 (-8) mm; leaf decurrencies evident. Leaf bud distinct, tetragonous in transverse section; sinus narrow and acute. Leaves decussate or subdistichous, erecto-patent; lamina obovate or elliptic (narrowly to broadly), coriaceous, shallowly m-shaped in transverse section (the margins being slightly revolute) or flat, (10-) 14-27 (-42) x (2-) 4.5-9 (-15.5) mm; apex subacute or obtuse; margin sometimes very narrowly cartilaginous, glabrous and minutely papillate (to the inside of outer cartilaginous portion), entire or shallowly toothed (may vary on one plant); upper surface glaucous (often less so than lower surface), with many stomata, glabrous or hairy along midrib; lower surface glaucous; petiole glabrous or hairy above. Inflorescences with (11-) 15-21 (-29) flowers, lateral and sometimes also terminal, tripartite and/or unbranched, only sometimes with more than three branches, (1,7-) 2.5-4.5 cm; peduncle 0.5-1.3 cm, glabrous (usually) or hairy: rachis (1.2-) 1.9-3.3 cm. Bracts alternate (lowermost pair may be subopposite or opposite), lanceolate or deltoid or oblong, acute or subacute, margins glabrous (usually) or hairy (very rarely, and only with a few cilia near base). Flowers hermaphrodite or female (on different plants). Pedicels longer than or equal to bracts, 0.5-2 (-3) mm. Calyx (1.5-) 2-2.5 (-3) mm, 4-5-lobed (5th lobe small, posterior), with anterior lobes free for most of their length or united to 1/3 – 2/3- way to apex; lobes deltoid or lanceolate, acute or subacute, margins glabrous (usually) or eglandular ciliolate (only ever with sparse, short hairs). Corolla tube glabrous; tube of hermaphrodite flowers 1.8-2.3 x 1-1.5 mm, funnelform, shorter than (mostly) or equalling calyx; lobes white at anthesis, lanceolate or ovate, subacute or obtuse, patent to recurved, longer than corolla tube. Stamen filaments 2-3.5 mm; anthers yellow or buff or pink or mauve or ,violet, 1.2-1.9 mm. Ovary ovoid (sometimes very narrowly), 0.8-1.3 mm; ovule, 4-8 per locule: style 2.2-4.5 mm. Capsules subacute, (2.5-) 2.8-3.5 (-3.8) x 1.9-2.5 mm, loculicidal split extending 1/4-1/2-way to base. Seeds flattened, more or less ellipsoid-oblong, more or less smooth, pale brown (with orange component), 1.1-1.5 x 0.7-0.9 mm, micropylar rim 0.2-0.3 mm.

Similar Taxa

Distinguished from most species by the combination of: low-growing, rupestral habit; leaf bud sinus; leaves glaucous on both surfaces, m-shaped in transverse section; and corolla tubes shorter than or equal to calyces. It is most similar to Veronica scopulorum, differing by the upper surface of the leaves being hairy along the midrib, whereas V. colensoi leaves upper surface is glaucous. Calyces without marginal cilia (the usual condition in V. colensoi) are almost unique in the genus, being otherwise seen only on some specimens of V. pareora and V. macrocalyx.

Flowering

(August-) September-November (-January)

Flower Colours

White

Fruiting

December-April (-October)

Threats

Not Threatened

Chromosome No.

2n = 40

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