VERONICAS. 



and pointed foliage. It is possibly an intermediate between V. Lyallii 

 and V. Catarractae. 



V. Bidicillii. — The true plant exactly copies the small round foliage 

 of the last, but on a still smaller scale, making a closely matted, tight 

 creeping mass, with the leaves quite distant on the shoots, and very 

 minute, almost sessile, oblong-egg-shaped, and either smooth at the 

 edges or with two or three coarse notches. The flower-flights, too, are 

 much longer and moro erect, emerging from the axils, but some way 

 below the ends of the shoots, and aspiring straight up, some 6 or 9 

 inches, with flowers pretty much the same as in V. Lyallii, from which, 

 however, it can be always known by its close, prostrate habit, longer 

 blossom-sprays, and smaller foliage. It is a haunter of the river 

 shingles, and in England is hardly ever seen true ; the genuine species 

 not bearing the reputation of perfect hardiness. 



V. Hookeriana is stouter and stirrer in all ways, with stout glandular- 

 downy sprays of fewer and larger blossoms, white (or veined with pink 

 in the variety V. H. nivea), and gathered by half dozens or so in a wide 

 shower at the top of the stems. The leaves are rather thickly placed 

 on the flopping arising mass of branches ; they are particularly stiff and 

 rather large, leathery in texture, oblong, and with coarse scalloping at 

 their edge. 



V. Olseni stands quite close, but is altogether slenderer, with less 

 down and more stars to the spray. It is probably intermediate 

 between V. Hookeriana and V. Catarractae. 



V. spathulata comes nearest to V. Hookeriana, from which it differs 

 in being more depressed and branching in the mass, while the spoon- 

 shaped loaves have little foot -stalks, instead of sitting almost stomless 

 to the stem. The sprays are shorter, too, double tho length of the 

 foliage, carrying the same flowers of white or pearly pink. The whole 

 growth is smaller and more prostrate, making quite dense, flat carpets 

 and mats. 



Thus explicit valde feliciter Liber Veronicarum Novae Zelandiae ; 



for, at the one end of the scale there remain behind us only large 



shrubs, with which we can have no concern ; while in front at the other, 



are only a few worthless or obscure plants, such as I\ Cheesemannii,n 



minute and email-flowered alpine tuffet, round and grey in the 2-inch 



cushion, whose effect, when a-bloom, is that of some small Euphrasia ; 



V. plebeia, which creeps but has valueless little dulnesses; for V. 



AnagaUis >ve need not go so far afield; and tho unsurpassable V. 



scens has been promoted into the ranks of the Old-World 



Veronica — a rather invidious preference, when tho beauties of V. 



iris, V. linifdlia, and V. Catarractae are called to mind. 



440 



