Flora of New Zealand Series

Veronica propinqua Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fl. 1906, 533.

V. cupressoides var. variabilis N. E. Brown in Gdnrs' Chron. 1, 1888, 20, f. 5 (excluding F).

Original localities: "Upper Waipori and Maungatua, Petrie! Mount Ida and Mount Bonpland, H. J. Matthews!" Type: A, 8258, Mt. Maungatua, D. Petrie.

Decumbent to erect much-branched shrub up to 1 m. tall but us. less, us. forming a dense flat-topped cushion 1 m. diam. or more. Ultimate branchlets 8 and close-set, short, spreading or erect, 1-1*5-(2) mm. diam., ± terete; internodes 1*5-3 mm. long, us. largely exposed; nodal joint well-marked. Lvs 1-1*5 mm. long, connate for ?-1/2 length, broad-ovate, obtuse, thick, rounded on back and rather abruptly projecting from branchlet. Spikes up to 12-fld and 1 cm. long but us. less. Bracts c. 1·5 mm. long, ovate-rhomboid, acute, slightly keeled. Calyx 1*5-2 mm. long, anterior lobes narrowly ovate-oblong, obtuse, free 1/2-⅔ length. Corolla-tube ± = calyx. Capsule 2-3 × 1∙5 mm., oval, obtuse, = or > calyx.

DIST.: S. Canterbury: Rangitata R., J. F. Armstrong, 1869. Otago: Garvie Mts. Mt. Ida, Mt. Dick, Rock and Pillar Range, Maungatua, Waipori; sub-alpine peaty ground.

Cheeseman noted: "This has been cultivated in gardens for many years under the name of V. salicornioides, from which, however, it is altogether distinct, as was first pointed out by Mr. N. E. Brown in the Gardeners' Chronicle. It was referred by Mr. Brown to V. cupressoides. . . ." Brown's illustrated article, "Veronica cupressoides and its Allies" in Gdnrs' Chron. 1, 1888, has not been seen.

Veronica propinqua var. major Ckn. ex Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fl. 1925, 820.  H. propinqua var. major (Ckn. ex Cheesem.) Ckn. et Allan in T.N.Z.I. 57, 1926, 41. The original diagnosis is: "Much taller and stouter and more erect. . . . Not uncommon in the uplands of Otago, Cockayne!" No type was indicated but a sheet in Herb. Cheeseman (A 50978) is labelled "ex Herb. L. Cockayne No. 8133. Veronica propinqua Cheesem. var. major Cockayne ined. Mt. Dick. Col.: L.C. 24 April 1921. The above name is given for the tall species common in the South Otago bot. dist., the type being considered the common prostrate garden plant. L.C." The specimen has branchlets 2 mm. diam. and is certainly much stouter than the Mt. Maungatua specimen here selected as lectotype of the sp., but the existence of two distinct forms in the wild needs confirmation.

The four sheets of H. propinqua in Herb. Armstrong (CM) collected from the Rangitata River have previously been overlooked; two are labelled V. salicornioides, one V. armstrongii with the note "fls pink", and the fourth unnamed. The specimen from "Southern Alps, Haast" cited by Hooker under the original description of V. hectori appears to be H. propinqua also, but the sp. has not recently been collected in Canterbury.