Flora of New Zealand Series

Veronica muelleri Buchan. in T.N.Z.I. 14, 1882, 351 non Vest ex Schrank in Flora 7, 1824, II, Beibl. 8 nec Mart. ex Walp. Repert. 3, 1844, 361.

V. plano-petiolata Simpson et Thomson in T.R.S.N.Z. 72, 1942, 31.

P. muelleri (Buchan.) W. R. B. Oliver loc. cit. 229.

Type locality: Mt. McPherson, head of Homer Valley, 1400-1700 m. altitude. Type: BD 76006, Owen Fletcher. Type locality of V. muelleri Buchan.: Hector's Col, Mt. Aspiring Range. Type: OM, Buchanan and McKay, 1881.

Slender, prostrate, softly woody subshrub rooting at nodes and forming patches up to 2 dm. diam. or more; branches ascending, lfy, 2-4 cm. long, sts elongated and up to 15 cm., glab. or pubescent, sts purplish. Lvs us. crowded, 5-10-(12) × 1·5-6-(8) mm. including petiole; lamina oblong to ovate to obovate to suborbicular, obtuse to subacute, entire or with 1-3 pairs of shallow teeth, glab., fleshy, shining, dark green to purplish, conspicuously dotted with stomata, spathulately narrowed into flat broad petiole < or = lamina, expanded and sparsely ciliolate at sub-sheathing persistent base. Infls. 1-2-fld, subsessile or shortly peduncled; bracts subfoliaceous, linear- to obovate-spathulate, entire, obtuse, ciliolate at base; pedicels up to 5-(7) mm. long, us. < bracts, glab. or pubescent. Calyx 4-6-(8) mm. long, glab. or sparsely pubescent at base, lobes spathulate or obovate-spathulate, obtuse. Corolla pink or lavender or white, 5-8 mm. long and 4-6 mm. diam.; tube c. 2 mm. broad, ± = lobes, < or = calyx; lobes 4-5, unequal, obovate to suborbicular, obtuse, only slightly spreading. Capsule 3-4 × 4-4·5 mm., much < calyx, broad-obcordate, compressed, glab.

DIST.: S. Consolidated rocky debris on mountains of western Otago and Fiord-land from c. lat. 44° southwards, local.