Flora of New Zealand Series

Veronica thomsonii (Buchan.) Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fl. 1906, 540.

Similar in habit to P. pulvinaris but cushions often more rigid, the lvs more closely imbricate with only the tips visible and tightly appressed to form rather hard branchlets. Lvs 2.5-4 × 1-2-(3) mm., linear-spathulate to rhomboid-ovate, subacute to acute, coriac. when young, us. yellowish and glossy on back when old; inner surface densely finely hairy, the hairs often forming well-defined band slightly below tip, outer surface glab. or sparsely hairy, margins ciliate for whole length with apical tuft or glab. near tip. Bracts 3-3·5 mm. long, linear, very similar to calyx-lobes. Calyx 3-3·5 mm. long, divided c. ⅔ way into 5-(6) linear lobes finely hairy on outer surface and margins at least in upper part. Corolla white, 4-6 mm. long, salverform; tube > calyx; lobes c. 2 × 1 mm., ovate, obtuse. Capsule 2-3 mm. long, glab. or hairy at apex.

DIST.: S. Dry open places and fellfield on mountains of Otago from c. lat. 44° 30' to 45° 30'. Original locality: Mt. Alta, Buchanan and McKay, 1881.

The only material available for lectotype in Herb. Buchanan (OM) consists of 2 pieces without locality, date or collector. The larger and non-flowering piece has rhomboid-ovate lvs 2.5-3 mm. wide with dense band of hairs on inner surface but glab. on outer surface, upper margins and tip. The smaller piece which bears several fls has smaller lvs only c. 1·5 mm. wide with sparse hairs on outer surface and a tuft at apex as well as band on inner surface. Buchanan figured a large broad lf with hairs on one side only, erroneously stated in his description to be the outer surface. This mistake has been perpetuated by later authors.

The sp. is closely related to P. pulvinaris but us. distinguishable by the more densely imbricated and appressed ± acute lvs, yellow when old, with finer and denser hairs. However certain specimens (e.g. from Mt. Cook) with coarse yet quite close-set lf-hairs fall rather between the two spp. The northern limit of P. thomsonii is not definitely known. There is a Kirk specimen in CM from Mt. Captain, Amuri, 5000 ft.

Veronica thomsonii var. glabra Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fl. 1906, 540. "Glabrous, or with a few scattered hairs on the margins of the leaves." Type: A, 8335, Mt. Pisa, D. Petrie. Known only from the original ample collection which is now distributed through several herbaria. Part remains in Herb. Petrie (W) mixed with P. myosotoides and P. thomsonii. In colour and size of lvs it is somewhat intermediate between these two spp. but the most hairy plants approach P. myosotoides quite closely. The gradation in hairiness combined with the sts unusually elongated infl. suggest that it could be merely an epharmone of damp or shaded places, though the extreme form is very distinct.