Flora of New Zealand Series

Veronica elliptica Forst. f. Prodr. 1786, 3.

Type locality: "Nova Zeelandia". Type: K, Forster. Also known from Falkland Is ( = Veronica decussata Sol. in Ait. Hort. Kew. 1, 1789, 20) and southern S. America ( = Hebe magellanica J. F. Gmel. Syst. Nat. 2, 1791, 27).

Much-branched bushy shrub to 2 m. tall. Branchlets with short stiff crowded often retrorse hairs variously arranged; length of internodes 1-6 × diam. Lvs often turned to face ± in one direction, 2-4 cm. × 6-16 mm., often with gradual change of size along twig, elliptic to elliptic-oblong, sts obovate-oblong, inclined to be fleshy; lf-bud with broad and very distinctive sinus, bounded above by hairy lf-margin, on sides by glab. unwinged petioles and below by stiffly hairy stem; lamina keeled, the strong midrib slightly excurrent in glab. plicate-mucronate tip, the margins elsewhere white-pubescent, entire or sts minutely and closely crenulate in age. Infls lateral, simple, c. 4-14-fld, little > lvs; peduncle short. Bracts small, acute, ciliolate, pedicels elongating to 5-7 mm. in fr. Calyx-lobes 2.5-4 mm., broad-ovate, acute, ciliolate. Corolla white or bluish, tube not > calyx, broad, lobes widespreading, 4-8 × 4-8 mm., ± acute. Capsule erect, 6-9 × 4-5 mm., pointed.

DIST.: N., S., St., Sn., A., C., Ch.? Western coasts from Cape Egmont southwards, eastern coasts from Otago southwards.

FL. 11-3.