Flora of New Zealand Series

Veronica cockayniana Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fl. 1906, 522 pro parte.

Type locality: Mt. Arthur Tableland, Nelson. Type: BD 76137, F. G. Gibbs, "Common at Cundy's Creek, etc."; isotype: A 8051, F. G. Gibbs n. 576.

Trim low-growing much-branched shrub. Branchlets bifariously rather coarsely pubescent, length of internodes 1-2 × diam. Lvs erecto-patent, almost imbricate and hiding upper part of stem, c. 12 × 6 mm., broad-elliptic to almost obovate, glaucous and slightly fleshy, drying dark brown with grey bloom; lf-bud without sinus; tip subacute, lamina narrowed gradually to rather broad base, entire, glab. except for scattered short hairs above midrib. Infls lateral, simple, little exceeding lfy tip of branch; peduncle short and hidden, shortly hairy. Bracts 1-1·5 mm. long, ciliolate, us. c. = pedicels. Calyx-lobes 1·5-2 mm. long, rather broad, obtuse to subacute, membr. border very narrow, ciliolate. Corolla white, tube broad, > calyx, lobes c. = tube, rounded. Capsule erect, subacute, glab., c. 2 × calyx.

DIST.: S. Mountains of Nelson to Amuri Pass.

FL. (11)-1-(4).

H. topiaria differs from H. cockayniana in having lvs glaucous on both surfaces without any tendency to lie distichously, in lf-bud without sinus, and in longer corolla-tube. Specimens have been filed in herbaria also as monticola, traversii, glaucophylla, traversii var. fallax, and darwiniana; the sp. differs from the first two in the small broad-elliptic glaucous lvs, from glaucophylla in glab. ovary, longer corolla-tube, peculiar branchlet-pubescence and more compact habit, and from the type of darwiniana in the last three characters. The small bracts, pedicellate fls and quite different corolla and capsule remove it from H. pinguifolia. From H. albicans and H. recurva it differs in habit and in much smaller lvs with narrower base. Though hybrids with one or both of these last two spp. apparently occur, there is field evidence as well as ample rather uniform herbarium material to justify proposing a new sp.

The closely lfy top of the bush forms a very even surface and when growing in the open the plant tends to assume a globular form as if clipped to shape, so suggesting the specific name; it should be noted, however, that this is not the only Hebe capable of such neat growth.