Flora of New Zealand Series

Veronica rakaiensis J. B. Armst. in T.N.Z.I. 13, 1881, 356.

Hebe scott-thomsonii Allan in T.R.S.N.Z. 69, 1939, 274.

Type locality: Rakaia Valley. Type: CM, Herb. Armstrong, J. B. Armstrong.

Bushy shrub 1-2 m. tall. Branchlets slender, with fine bifarious pubescence, length of internodes us. 2-6 × diam., lf-scars remaining rather rough. Lvs spreading, c. 2 cm. × 6 mm., obovate- to elliptic-oblong, subcoriac., "bright green", glossy; lf-bud without sinus, lf-base narrow; lamina subacute, entire, glab., but the margin opaque with microscopic hair-like cilia. Infls lateral, simple, 3-4 cm. long in fl., elongating in fr. Fls not very crowded and pedicels us. obvious; peduncle c. half subtending lf, very finely pubescent. Bracts very small, ciliolate, obtuse to acute, much < pedicels. Calyx-lobes 1-1·5 mm. long, some or all subacute on each fl., ciliolate, membr. border very narrow. Corolla white, tube wide, scarcely = calyx, lobes > tube, c. 2 mm. long, rounded. Ovary with fine close pubescence, sts extending to style. Capsule 3 × 2 mm. to 4 × 2.5 mm.,·narrow and pointed, drying rather light brown, 2-3 × calyx-lobes.

DIST.: S. From mid-Canterbury southwards on eastern side of divide and reaching sealevel at Catlins. Streamsides and rocky outcrops.

FL. 12-4.

In 1906 (Man. N.Z. Fl. 499) Cheeseman was "unable to precisely identify V. Rakaiensis" in the absence of authentic specimens and in 1925 (p. 784) he suggested that it "is probably identical with my Veronica traversii var. elegans". In 1935 Wall (Rec. Canterbury Mus. 4, 99) recorded three sheets of specimens labelled V. rakaiensis in Herb. Armstrong; these agree with Armstrong's description except that the lvs are glab. below, not pubescent as he states, and the calyx-lobes are ciliolate only, not "ciliated and pubescent".

H. scott-thomsonii has as its type BD 18230, "Deep Stream, rocks by river at bridge, H. H. Allan, 15.8.1937" and this is the plant that Simpson and Thomson (T.R.S.N.Z. 67, 1938, 435) recorded from the borders of but not within the Dunedin Botanical Sub-district. Specimens and description agree with the type of V. rakaiensis.