634 



VERONICA 



Native of the South Island of New Zealand ; introduced about 1883. 

 It is one of the hardiest of New Zealand veronicas, and flowers regularly 

 every summer. With age (at least under cultivation) it assumes a lanky, 



broom-like, fastigiate habit, but on the 

 whole is one of the most satisfactory of 

 the group. 



V. BALFOURIANA, Hooker fit. 

 BALFOUR'S SPEEDWELL. 



(Bot. Mag., t. 7556.) 



A shrub about 3 ft. high, with erect pur- 

 plish stems, minutely downy above the leaf- 

 axils. Leaves \ to in. long, \ to \ in. 

 wide; oval or somewhat obovate, scarcely 

 stalked, pale glossy green and quite smooth 

 except for minute marginal hairs near the 

 base. Flowers pale purplish blue, \ to J in. 

 in diameter, produced about midsummer in 

 handsome stalked racemes, 2 to 3 ins. long, 

 | in. wide. The racemes are axillary and 

 usually opposite in a pair. Sepals about 

 \ in. long, minutely downy, as long as the 

 corolla-tube. 



Originally raised at the Edinburgh Botanic 

 Garden from New Zealand seeds; the native 

 locality apparently not known, as it has not 

 since been found wild. Its affinities are 

 considered to be with V. Traversii, but its 

 racemes are handsomer in their larger blue 

 flowers. The corolla-tube of V. Traversii 

 differs in being about twice the length of 

 the calyx. V. Balfouriana is hardy in 

 ordinary winters, but will not stand so much frost as V. Traversii. 



VERONICA ANOMALA. 



V. BUXIFOLIA, Bentham. 



A neat shrub, 2 to 4 ft. high, with erect branches; young shoots pale 

 green, smooth, except for a thin strip of down reaching from the axil of one 

 leaf to the opening between the pair next above it. Leaves in four super- 

 posed rows, \ to | in. long, ^ to J in. wide; oblong inclined to obovate, 

 pointed, rounded at the base, dark glossy green, perfectly smooth, covered 

 with minute dots beneath; stalk about ^ in. long, dilated where it joins the 

 stem and slightly hairy there. Flowers white, j to ^ in. across, produced in 

 June and July at and near the apex of the shoots in closely packed clusters, 

 to I in. long, which are often branched and collectively form a corymb, 

 I to 2 ins. across, the stalks minutely downy. Sepals narrow oblong, rounded 

 at the end, edged with minute hairs; seed-vessel about twice as long. 



Native of the North and South Islands of New Zealand. The plant in 

 cultivation under this name and described above is very distinct in general 

 appearance from native grown specimens, which have the leaves much more 

 densely arranged on the stem, and less distinctly stalked. But in all 

 essential particulars they appear to be the same. Probably the differences 

 are due to the different environment of cultivated plants. It reaches up 



