Flora of New Zealand Series

Veronica cheesemanii Benth. in Ic. Pl. 1881, t. 1366A.

Type locality: Raglan Mts, Wairau Valley, alt. 5000 ft. Type: K, T. F. Cheeseman.

Small much-branched plant us. compacted into dense greyish cushion 5-10 cm. diam. with deeply descending taproot and ∞ secondary roots, occ. forming a loose patch; stems woody, rooting, branches ascending, up to c. 8 cm. long, densely hairy. Lvs very close-set, ± hairy on both surfaces; lamina 3-5 × 2-3 mm., narrow-ovate to almost suborbicular, deeply crenate to pinnatifidly lobed, narrowed into flattened petiole c. 5 mm. long. Infls 1-2-(3)-fld, subsessile and hidden among lvs, hairy in all parts; bracts opp., foliaceous, linear-spathulate; pedicels up to 1 mm., much < bracts. Calyx 4-6 mm. long, densely hairy; lobes foliaceous, linear-oblong, crenately lobed at apex. Corolla white, salverform, 6-7 mm. long; tube 4-5 mm. long, broad-cylindric, = or slightly > calyx; lobes 4, unequal, spreading, obtuse, c. 2 × 1·5 mm. Capsule much < calyx, broad-obcordate, compressed, hairy.

DIST.: S. Mountains of Nelson and western Marlborough to Spenser Mts and Maruia R.; Otira and Arthur Pass. Subalpine screes and rocky places.