The New Zealand Plant Conservation Network

Species

Veronica pentasepala

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'.

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

Family

Plantaginaceae

Brief Description

Small shrub to 30 cm tall bearing pairs of glossy narrow fleshy red-edged leaves inhabiting rocky sites in inland Marlborough valleys. Leaves 10-30mm long by 4-8mm wide, on a short stalk. Flowers pinkish, in clusters to 7cm long.

Flora Category

Vascular - Native

NVS Species Code

HELPEN

Structural Class

Dicotyledonous Trees & Shrubs

Synonyms

Hebe raoulii var. pentasepala L.B.Moore, Parahebe raoulii subsp. pentasepala (L.Moore) Heads; Heliohebe pentasepala (L.B.Moore) Garn.-Jones

Distribution

Endemic. South Island – Marlborough inland valleys

Habitat

Cliffs, rocks, rocky slopes, steep grassland, often on limestone, 300-1450 m.

Features

Subshrub or shrub, 0.1-0.3(-0.45) m tall. Branches usually erect, sometimes ascending; branchlets red-brown, grey-brown with age; vegetative internodes (2-)4-10(-20) mm long; stem pubescence uniform, hairs eglandular, or rarely glandular hairs also present between leaf bases at nodes in cultivated plants only. Leaves erecto-patent to spreading; lamina oblanceolate or narrowly elliptic, coriaceous to fleshy, weakly folded, (7-)10-30 x (3-)4-8 mm; apex usually subacute, acute, or obtuse; base cuneate; margin red, rounded, smooth, serrate or rarely entire; adaxial surface glabrous, green to bronze green, glossy, with dense stomata; abaxial surface glabrous (or eglandular-hairy on midrib in occasional cultivated plants), green to pale green, dull, with dense stomata; midrib not thickened, depressed to grooved above. Petiole narrowly winged, 2-5(-8) mm long. Inflorescence with 20-200 flowers, (1-)2-7 cm long. Peduncle 0.5-1.0(-1.5) cm long; rachis 1-3(-5) cm long, pubescent; bracts subopposite to alternate, or opposite and decussate below, becoming alternate above, subacute to acute, eglandular-ciliate, deltoid. Pedicels eglandular-pubescent, very short or absent. Calyx divisions equally deep. Calyx 2.5-3.5 mm long; lobes 5, not all similar, ovate to deltoid, subacute, eglandular-ciliate. Corolla (6-)7-8 mm diameter, pink at anthesis, paler after pollination, throat pink; corolla tube 2.0-2.5 mm long, 1.0-1.5 mm wide, cylindric, slightly swollen at base, equalling or shorter than calyx, glabrous; corolla lobes glabrous; posterior lobe longer than tube, more or less circular, subacute, erect to spreading; lateral lobes broadly elliptic, subacute, spreading; anterior lobe elliptic, subacute, spreading. Stamen filaments white, inserted between middle and base of corolla tube, 2.0-2.5 mm long. Anthers pale yellow. Nectarial disk glandular-ciliate. Ovary globose, emarginate, glabrous, 0.8-1.2 x 0.8-0.9 mm, 0.5-0.6 mm thick. Ovules approximately 16 per locule. Style 5-7 mm long, approximately 0.25 mm thick, usually glabrous, sometimes with long glandular hairs, pink, becoming white with age. Stigma globose, pink at anthesis, 0.2-0.3 mm wide. Capsule angustiseptate to turgid, truncate to emarginate, dark brown, 3.5-4.0 x 2.5 mm, 2 mm thick, glabrous; loculicidal split extending 1/3-1/2-way to base. Seeds weakly flattened, winged, fusiform to obovoid or irregular, pale to reddish brown, smooth to weakly rugulose on back, (1.0-)1.5-2.5 x 0.8-1.0 mm.

Similar Taxa

Similar to Veronica raoulii but Veronica pentasepala has a more erect habit, leaves widest at about the middle, and five free calyx lobes, the posterior one usually only slightly smaller than the others.

Flowering

September-November

Flower Colours

Violet / Purple,White

Fruiting

December-February

Chromosome No.

2n = 42

Endemic Taxon

Yes

Endemic Genus

Yes

Endemic Family

No

This page last updated on 18 Dec 2019