The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Veronica dieffenbachii

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'.
dieffenbachii: Named after Dr. Ernst Dieffenbach, 19th century German naturalist

Common Name(s)

Dieffenbach’s koromiko

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 - Range Restricted

Qualifiers

2012 - IE, RR
2009 - IE

Authority

Veronica dieffenbachii Benth.

Family

Plantaginaceae

Brief Description

Bushy shrub bearing pairs of dark green narrow leaves and spikes of white to purple flowers inhabiting coastal areas of the Chatham Islands. Leaves pale underneath, 38-74mm long by 8.5-20mm wide. Leaf bud with no gap at base. Flower spikes to 12cm long.

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

HEBDIE

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Trees & Shrubs

Synonyms

Veronica dorrien-smithii Cockayne, Hebe dorrien-smithii (Cockayne) Cockayne et Allan, Hebe dieffenbachii (Benth.) Cockayne et Allan

Distribution

Endemic. New Zealand: Chatham Islands (Chatham, Pitt, Mangere, South East Islands).

Habitat

Mostly coastal where it usually grows in mixed shrubland and along forest margins. Also on limestone outcrops on the coast or inland, and it is a feature of the limestone cliffs lining Te Whanga lagoon. Rarely in coastal forest, where it often grows near petrel burrows

Features

Upright bushy or spreading shrub up to 2 × 3 m. Branches suberect to erect, rarely spreading and ± pendent, old stems grey or brown; branchlets green (rarely tinged maroon), puberulent, pubescent or glabrous; internodes 2.9-34.0 mm. Leaf bud distinct; sinus absent. Leaves erecto-patent to recurved; lamina elliptic, oblong-elliptic, oblanceolate to obovate, coriaceous, flat, or with recurved margins, 26.0-110.0 × 4.5-25.0 mm; apex subacute or obtuse, base truncate to subcordate or amplexicaul; margin cartilaginous, glabrous or finely ciliate; upper surface light to dark green, often glaucescent, hairy along midrib, rarely uniformly eglandular pubescent; lower surface light green or glaucescent, glabrous or minutely and uniformly pubescent. Inflorescences with 34-140 flowers, lateral, unbranched, 50-120 mm long; peduncle 9-20 mm; rachis 35-100 mm. Bracts alternate, lanceolate, linear-lanceolate or deltoid, acute to subacute, occasionally hairy outside. Flowers hermaphrodite. Pedicels 0.7-3.8 mm. Calyx 1.5-4.4 mm, 4-5-lobed, lobes lanceolate, ovate or deltoid, acute to subacute, occasionally hairy outside. Corolla tube hairy inside, 2.5-3.5 × 1.5-1.8 mm, shortly cylindric, > calyx; lobes white, elliptic or ovate, obtuse, patent to recurved, slightly shorter than corolla tube, hairy inside, or with sparse hairs toward the base on the inner surface. Stamen filaments white, 3.5-4.0 mm; anthers magenta, 1.5-1.9 mm. Nectarial disc ciliate, rarely glabrous. Ovary glabrous, sometimes hairy, 0.9-1.1 mm; style 4.0-7.3 mm, glabrous, sometimes hairy. Capsules obtuse or subacute, 3.5-5.6 × 2.7-4.3 mm, glabrous or sometimes hairy, loculicidal split ¼ way to base. Seeds flattened, ± discoid, ± smooth, brown to pale brown, 0.8-1.5 × 0.8-1.2 mm.

Similar Taxa

Related to Veronica chathamica with which it readily forms hybrids. From that species it is distinguished by the much larger, erect to suberect shrub growth, larger leaves which are longer than wide, dark green to glaucescent above, and light green or glaucescent below, and much larger inflorescences, with uniformly white flowers. Veronica chathamica is usually found in more exposed sites on beaches and rock stacks.

Flowering

December – May

Flower Colours

Violet / Purple,White

Fruiting

January - December

Propagation Technique

Easily grown from cuttings and fresh seed. An attractive shrub which makes an excellent hedge and is ideal for coastal situations. Somewhat frost sensitive. Some forms sold as this species with dark mauve flowers or flowers tinged with mauve are hybrids with H. chathamica.

Threats

A Naturally Uncommon, range-restricted island endemic. This species probably has declined and it is certainly less common than H. chathamica, however, it is still very widespread, and actively regenerating in fenced off areas. Hybridism with Veronica chathamica is an issue at some sites (e.g., Rangatira (South East Island)).

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 22 Feb 2016