Flora of New Zealand Series

Veronica hillii Col. in T.N.Z.I. 28, 1896, 606.

Type locality: Kuripapango. Lectotype: K, H. Hill, 1894.

Lvs ± 30 × 11 mm., elliptic, with 3-10 pairs of marginal incisions, in exposed places linear-oblong, ± 19 × 6 mm., with 0-2 pairs of marginal incisions.

DIST.: N. "In a few localities from the Ngaruroro River near the Inland Patea Road to the Taruarau Razorback and the east face of the Kaweka Range" (N. L. Elder). Cliffs of river valleys.

FL. 8-11-(12).

The type is a fruiting specimen with simple racemes and toothed lvs to c. 35 × 12 mm. A very similar specimen, probably a portion of the same gathering, in Herb. Colenso (W 5317), is labelled by Colenso "Veronica Hillii Col. Species nova: a sweet little shrub discovered by Mr. H. Hill, in the mountainous interior". Colenso's No. 4265, represented in K by three flowering twigs mounted on the same sheet as his No. 4062 and sharing the same label, is an example of var. hillii from an exposed situation, the lvs being c. 20 × 6 mm. with about 6 pairs of small regular incisions on most lvs. In A and W are Colenso specimens without number or locality but closely matching those numbered 4062 and 4265 in K and there can be little doubt that these same two collections are represented in all three herbaria.

V. hillii Kirk in T.N.Z.I. 28, 1896, 524 included Colenso's "Ruahine" plant at Kew as well as some from Kuripapango. The specimens listed are: "North Island: Hawke's Bay, Kuripapanga; between the Rangitikei Ford and Erewhon; A. Hamilton! H. Hill! D. Petriel Ruahine Mountains, W. Colenso, in Herb. Kew. South Island: Otago, J. Buchanan!"

Elder (T.R.S.N.Z. 69, 1939, 373-377) reported the results of some years of observation on the glaucous Hebe of the Inland Patea in the field and in cultivation; he distinguished three forms and presented evidence of hybridism between two of them. Elder's "Jordanon Two" is here treated as  var. hillii; the other two more closely related jordanons are united under var. colensoi.

Elder, in the same paper, records that in H. colensoi the infl.-pattern is affected by conditions of growth. In the wild racemes are lateral and mostly simple though the lowest pair are often tripartite. In cultivation "the branching of the bottom pair or two pairs is general" and "in well-grown plants to two thirds of all flowering stems show branching. The upper racemes persistently remain single, and not infrequently a terminal spike is developed forming a panicle. This has also been observed in the field in two instances".