Flora of New Zealand Series

Veronica speciosa var. brevifolia Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fl. 1906, 500.

Type: A, 7653, North Cape, Jan. 1896, T. F. C., 1535 to Kew.

Fls reddish purple, sepals broad, obtuse; racemes short, in fl. c. = elliptic-oblong lvs. Fls widely spaced with long pedicels.

DIST.: Known only within a few miles of the type locality.

FL. 11-8.

Features in which this var. differs from H. speciosa and approaches H. macrocarpa are: lf-bud without sinus, lvs narrower, especially towards tip, and minutely pubescent branchlets. The plants are not unlike some garden hybrids of H. speciosa but the population at Kerr Point is far distant from any recorded occurrence of H. speciosa and is rather uniform, with lvs mostly c. 4-6 × 1-1·5 cm.; there is close agreement between specimens of six different collectors from the general North Cape area dated from 1896 to 1954. Plants grown from cuttings under good garden conditions produce lvs to 12 × 2.5 cm. A fruiting specimen from Whangarei Heads (1238/1 in Herb. Carse, CM) could be as well placed here as in  var. latisepala.