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Volume I (1961) - Flora of New Zealand Indigenous Tracheophyta - Psilopsida, Lycopsida, Filicopsida, Gymnospermae, Dicotyledons
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Parahebe W.R.B.Oliv.

PARAHEBE W. R. B. Oliver, 1944

Type sp.: Veronica catarractae Forst. f.

Fls in axillary racemes which may be long or greatly reduced, sts to solitary bibracteate fl. Calyx deeply and evenly 4-lobed, a small fifth lobe occ. present. Corolla variable in size and shape, tube very short to long, lobes 4 or 5, unequal. Stamens 2, anthers held above tube. Style long, stigma capitate. Capsule laterally compressed with septum across narrowest diam., emarginate and ± 2-lobed, dehiscing loculicidally and us. less deeply septicidally, sts separating to base into 4 valves; seeds us. many, ± flattened, smooth. Prostrate to decumbent subshrubs with woody or semiwoody stems rooting in lower parts, rarely herbaceous. Lvs opp., mostly crenate or toothed, sessile or shortly petioled. Not certainly recorded outside N.Z.

SYNOPSIS

  • A.
    • Infl. a long-peduncled, us. ∞-fld raceme with small bracts; calyx-lobes ciliolate; corolla bowl-shaped, very short-tubed, unequally 4-lobed; capsule us. exceeding calyx, somewhat laterally compressed or turgid. Decumbent to prostrate subshrubs, lvs mostly glab. and crenate or serrate, shortly petioled:
    • 1. decora, 2. lyallii, 3. catarractae, 4. hookeriana
  • B.
    • Infl. short-peduncled or subsessile, 1-3-(7)-fld, bracts small to subfoliaceous; fls various; capsules us. ± laterally compressed, included in or equalling calyx. Decumbent subshrubs or cushion-plants
    • 1.
      • Lvs very shortly connate, entire or shallowly toothed, glab. except for ciliolate base; calyx glab., corolla various:
      • 5. linifolia, 6. plano-petiolata
    • 2.
      • Lvs sessile, mostly crenate or toothed, us. ciliate or pubescent; calyx glandular-pubescent; corolla large, short-tubed, 5-lobed:
      • 7. trifida, 8. birleyi
    • 3.
      • Lvs long-petioled, crenate or lobed, white-hairy; bracts opp., calyx white-hairy; corolla small, 4-lobed, tube medium to long; shingle plants forming patches or cushions:
      • 9. spathulata, 10. cheesemanii
  • C.
    • Fls solitary, axillary, bibracteate; calyx white-hairy; corolla short-tubed, 4-lobed; capsule ± compressed, included in calyx. Prostrate, filiform, creeping and rooting herb:
    • 11. canescens

Key

1
Racemes (4)-/infinity/-fld on peduncles 2.5-15 cm. long; capsule us. > calyx
2
Racemes 2-5-(7)-fld, subsessile or on peduncles up to 2 cm. long, or reduced to solitary bibracteate fl.; capsule < or ═ calyx
6
2
Lvs > 15 mm. long
3. catarractae
Lvs < 15 mm. long
3
3
Lvs ± 1·5-4 × 1-3 mm., entire or once-lobulate near base; peduncles us. 8 cm. or more long, lowest fls in ± remote whorl of 3
1. decora
Lvs larger, crenate or serrate; peduncles rarely as much as 8 cm. long, lowest fls not regularly in remote whorl of 3
4
4
Lvs coriac., rather stiffly arranged, often recurved and overlapping, glab. or glandular-hairy or white-pubescent at least at tip; peduncles us. densely glandular-hairy, sts white-pubescent
4. hookeriana
Lvs not coriac., not stiffly recurved and overlapping, glab.; peduncles glab. or white-pubescent, rarely with glandular hairs
5
5
Lvs rather deeply crenate to bluntly serrate, obtuse to subacute, often ± fleshy when fresh
2. lyallii
Lvs coarsely to shallowly sharply serrate, acute, not fleshy
3. catarractae
6
Plant a filiform creeping herb forming matted patches; lvs 1-2.5 × 1-1·5 mm
11. canescens
Plant ± woody at least at base, not at all of above habit; lvs much larger
7
7
Lvs glab. except for ciliolate base or sparsely glandular-ciliate, entire or acutely toothed
8
Lvs white-hairy or finely pubescent on both surfaces, crenate or deeply lobed
10
8
Infl. glandular-hairy; corolla 15-20 mm. diam., deeply 5-lobed; lvs stiff and glossy, us. once or twice deeply acutely toothed at apex, sts glandular-ciliate
7. trifida
Infl. not glandular-hairy; corolla smaller, lobes 4 or if 5 cut only c. halfway; lvs not as above
9
9
Infl. 1-7-fld, pedicels long, obvious; corolla 10-15 mm. diam., deeply 4-lobed; lvs entire, only very slightly narrowed to base
5. linifolia
Infl. 1-2-fld, pedicels short, us. hidden; corolla c. 6 mm. diam., cut c. halfway into 4 or 5 lobes; lvs entire or shallowly toothed, us. distinctly narrowed to base
6. plano-petiolata
10
Lvs sessile or subsessile, densely clad in fine stiff pubescence; corolla 10-20 mm. diam., 5-lobed
8. birleyi
Lvs with flattened petioles 3-5 mm. long, ± white-hairy; corolla not > c. 6 mm. diam., 4-lobed
11
11
Infl. 1-2-(3)-fld, subsessile and ± hidden among lvs; calyx-lobes crenate; plant us. compacted into tight cushion
10. cheesemanii
Infl. 2-7-fld on peduncle 5-20 mm. long, not at all hidden; calyx-lobes entire; plant forming patches but not compacted into tight cushion
9. spathulata

Oliver (Rec. Dom. Mus., Wellington 1, 1944, 229), mainly on the basis of chromosome number, removed from the genus Veronica the spp. grouped by Cheeseman under division Euveronica and placed them in Parahebe, a new genus closely related to Hebe but differing in laterally compressed capsules. This arrangement has been accepted by most recent workers though the shape and dehiscence of the capsule do not in themselves distinguish Parahebe absolutely from the wide range of spp. at present included in Hebe, and there is more diversity in other characters than Oliver's brief description suggests. The suffruticose habit and type of infl. are good supporting distinctions. Darlington and Wylie (Chromosome Atlas of Flowering Plants, 1955) list 2n ═ 42 for five spp., 2n ═ 40 for one sp.

The spp. of group A are polymorphic vegetatively, closely related and difficult to separate, the floral parts affording few distinguishing characters. Group B embraces a much wider range of both vegetative and floral characters with the spp. distinctly separated and on the whole not variable, while P. canescens is even more isolated.

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