Veronica. | SCROPHULARINES. 523 
Var. patens, Cheesem. — Leaves spreading. Spikes more numerous. 
Flowers rather larger.—V. buxifolia var. odora, Kirk in Trans. N.Z. Inst. 
xxviii. (1896) 524 (but not V. odora, Hook. f.) 
Norru Isuanp: High mountains of the interior, from Hikurangi, Tonga- 
riro, and Mount Egmont southwards to the Tararua Range. Souru IsuaND: 
Abundant in mountain districts throughout. Var. patens: Plentiful from 
Nelson to Foveaux Strait. Srewart Istanp: Not uncommon. Usually 
from 2000 ft. to 4000 ft., but descends to sea-level in Stewart Island. Decem- 
ber—March. 
An abundaut plant in mountain districts, recognised without any difficulty 
by the stout erect rigid habit, dark-green closely imbricated keeled leaves, which 
are conspicuously truncate or subcordate at the base, and by the usually 
numerous short spikes massed into a compact terminal inflorescence. Mr. 
Kirk considered my var. patens to be identical with V. odora, Hook f., which 
Hooker had reduced to V. buxifolia in the Handbook; but Mr. N. KE. Brown, 
who has kindly examined the types of V. odora for me, states that this view is 
altogether incorrect. I refer V. odora to V. elliptica. 
38. V. anomala, Armsir. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. 1v. (1872) 291. 
—An erect perfectly glabrous much-branched shrub 3-6 ft. high ; 
branches long, slender, fastigiate, leafy, purplish towards the tips. 
Leaves spreading, sessile or nearly so, 4-$in. long, $-1in. broad, 
linear-oblong or elliptic-lanceolate, subacute, keeled, coriaceous, 
dark-green and shining above, paler beneath, midrib obscure. Spikes 
crowded together at the tips of the branches, 5-10-flowered, forming 
a short terminal panicle ; rhachis puberulous; bracts ovate, acute, 
coriaceous, as long as the calyx. Flowers sessile, white or pale- 
pink, +-4in. diam. Calyx 3-partite with one of the segments broader 
and emarginate or 2-lobed, more rarely 4-partite; segments linear- 
oblong, obtuse. Corolla-tube slender, tubular, about twice as long 
as the calyx; limb either 3-lobed with the anticous lobe entirely 
suppressed, or 4-lobed with the anticous lobe small and narrow- 
linear ; the dorsal and lateral lobes oblong, obtuse. Capsule ovate- 
oblong, obtuse, glabrous, half as long again as the calyx.—Trans. 
N.Z. Inst. xiii. (1881) 355 ; Hook. f. Bot. Mag. t. 7360. 
SourH Istanp: Canterbury—Rakaia Valley, Mount Peel, Mount Cook, 
Armstrong ! 3000-4000 ft. December—February. 
A very handsome and attractive species. Its nearest ally is V. buxifolia var. 
patens, narrow-leaved states of which approach it very closely. Sir J.D. Hooker 
remarks that in England he has never seen cultivated specimens with the 
anticous lobe of the corolla entirely suppressed, although it is always much 
smaller and narrower than the other three. In New Zealand cultivated speci- 
mens are variable in this respect. Usually some of the flowers want the anticous 
lobe and others possess it, but it is easy to find plants in which it is either always 
absent or always present. The few wild specimens that I have seen have no 
trace of the anticous lobe; but I suspect that a larger series would show that it 
is frequently developed. 
39. V. decumbens, Armstr. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xiii. (1881) 
302.—A small decumbent much-branched shrub 1-3 ft. high; 
branches spreading, purplish-black, bifariously pubescent. Leaves 
