Tab. 7360. 



VERONICA ANOMALA. 

 Native of New Zealand. 



Nat. Ord. Scrophularine.e. — Tribe Digitale.*. 

 Genus Veronica, Linn.; (Benth. & Hook.f. Gen. PI. vol. ii. p. 964.) 



Veronica (Hebe) anomala; fmtex erectus, ramosissimus, glaberrimus, 

 ramulis gracilibus erectis dense foliosis, foliis parvis (l~l poll, loagis) 

 sessilibus patulis ellipticis subacutis integerrimis carinatis saturate viri- 

 dibus nitidis, floribus in spicas breves subsessiles paniculatas subpuberulas 

 ad apices ramulorum confertas dispositis oppositis albis, bracteis ovatis 

 calycem fequantibus, calycis oblongi fere 4-parfciti lobis lineari-oblongis 

 obtusis ciliolatis, corollas tubo gracili calyce duplo longiore, lobis 3 

 posticis ovato-oblongis obtusis, anticoangustelineari, filamentis elongatis, 

 antheris oblongis cseruleis, ovario glaberrimo, 



V. anomala, Armstrong in Trans. iV. Zeald. Instit. vol. iv. (1872) p. 291. 



Veronica, anomala is one of the most attractive of the 

 New Zealand shrubby Speedwells, owing to its graceful 

 habit, its deep green polished leaves, and copious in- 

 florescence. It was named anomala, in reference to the 

 peculiarity of the corolla, which is described by its author 

 as having three nearly equal lobes, or two unequal ones, 

 the longer forked at the tip. This reduction of the lobes 

 to three, which I have never found to be the case in any 

 specimen cultivated in this country, was no doubt due (in 

 Mr. Armstrong's native plant) to the entire suppression of 

 the anticous lobe, which, as shown in the accompanying 

 drawing, and in all the plants I have seen under cultiva- 

 tion in England, is reduced to a linear blade very much 

 narrower than the other three. P. anomala is a native of 

 the New Zealand Alps, it was discovered by Mr. Armstrong 

 in the valley of the Rakaia river, in the Ashburton Pro- 

 vince of the South Island, at an elevation of 4000 ft. ; and 

 it has been since found in the Broken River Valley by Mr. 

 Kirk, F.L.S., and at the sea level in the extreme south, 

 namely, Paterson's inlet, Stewart's Island, by the same 

 botanist. It flowered at Kew in 1886, and since then in 

 the Botanical Gardens of Cambridge and Edinburgh, and in 

 my own near Sunningdale. It is perfectly hardy. 



June 1st, 189 1. 



