Flora of New Zealand Series

Veronica rupicola Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fl. 1906, 514.

Hebe lapidosa Simpson et Thomson in T.R.S.N.Z. 70, 1940, 31.

Type locality: "Gorge of the Conway River, 2000 ft." Type: A, 7926, L. Cockayne No. 8000, 1570 to Kew; isotypes in W and CM.

Erect branching shrub to 1·5 m. tall. Branchlets dark when dry with a well-defined pubescent band above each lf-insertion, length of internodes 2-4 × diam. Lvs erecto-patent, 15-25 × 5-7 mm., elliptic- or obovate-oblong, coriac., rather yellowish green (occ. glaucous beneath); lf-bud with long narrow sinus, upper lf-margins diverging rather early; lamina glab., obtuse to subacute, entire, margins cartilaginous. Infls lateral, uppermost us. simple, the lowest often tripartitely branched, > lvs but us. not projecting beyond lfy tip of branch; peduncle short, almost glab. Fls almost sessile, ± opp. Bracts 4-5 mm. long, broad-ovate, subacute, border membr., very finely ciliolate. Calyx hidden within bract, lobes c. 3·5 × 1·5 mm., similar to bract. Corolla white, tube little > calyx, lobes = tube, narrow, subacute. Capsule erect, broadly oblong, obtuse, glab., little > calyx, often < bract.

DIST.: S. Marlborough to N. Canterbury. Rocky places.

FL. 12-2.

H. lapidosa Simpson et Thomson was based on plants from " stony debris on rock benches and flood beds in the gorge of the Dee River, Clarence Basin, Marlborough, 500-1500 m. altitude, exceedingly common in this habitat". The type (BD 56636B) and the description provide no characters to distinguish this from H. rupicola, and plants from Dee River and some from Mt. Terako (Waiau) grown at Otari Open Air Native Plant Museum match one another and the type specimen of H. rupicola.