Flora of New Zealand Series

Veronica colensoi Hook. f. Handbk N.Z. Fl. 1864, 209.

Low-growing shrub of open or bushy habit, rarely as much as 75 cm. tall. Branchlets glab., glaucous, length of internodes 1-2-(3) × diam. Lvs erecto-patent, obovate- to elliptic-oblong, thick, glaucous on both surfaces; lf-bud with narrow sinus, the lamina extending as a diminishing wing almost to lf-base; lamina glab., subacute, toothed to entire, margins slightly revolute. Infls lateral (occ. terminal also), the lowest pair or two pairs of racemes often tripartite, > lvs and us. projecting beyond vegetative tip; peduncle 1-2 cm. long, glab. Fls white, almost sessile. Bracts c. 2 mm. long, narrow, subacute to acute, quite glab. Calyx-lobes very similar to bracts. Corolla-tube not > calyx, lobes longer, narrow, subacute. Capsule glab., < 2 × calyx.