638 VERONICA 



branchlets, as clothed with leaves, are four-sided, each face about in. wide. 

 Leaves on adult plants about ^ in. long, rather more wide, triangular, 

 flattened to the branches and strongly keeled at the back (it is the prominent 

 keel that gives the quadrangular form to the branchlets), each pair united at 

 the base. On young plants, and on occasional " reverted " branches of older 

 ones, the leaves are twice as long, not pressed to the branches, awl-shaped 

 with a broad base, and often more or less linear-lobed. Flowers produced 

 about midsummer in a small head 1 in. across at the end of the branches ; 

 the corolla j in. diameter, white, against which the large blue anthers are in 

 effective contrast. 



Native of the South Island of New Zealand up to 5500 ft. It is about as 

 hardy as V. cupressoides and is equally shy-flowering in this country. From 

 that species it is easily distinguished by the much less dense habit, the final 

 subdivisions of the branches being longer, thicker, and more open. (See 

 also V. Hectori.) 



V. PIMELEOIDES, Hooker fit. 



A prostrate or partially erect shrub, with downy (sometimes very downy) 

 young branches. Leaves closely set in four vertical rows, ovate, oval, or 

 obovate; about |- in. long, \ in. wide; tapered towards both ends, concave, 

 glaucous, smooth. Flowers purplish blue, \ to \ in. diameter, stalkless, 

 produced during June, July, and August in solitary or branched, cylindrical 

 spikes f to 2 ins. long, the main-stalk of the spike downy like the young 

 branchlets. Corolla-tube very short. 



Var. GLAUCO-CCERULEA, Cheeseman (V. glauco-ccerulea, Armstrong]. A 

 more robust plant with leaves up to \ in. long, and shortly stalked, more 

 conspicuously glaucous than the type. Flowers darker blue-purple. 



Both these are very pleasing dwarf shrubs, forming a dense covering 

 to the ground, the blue flowers contrasting admirably with the glaucous 

 leaves, which, with the conspicuously downy stems and flower-spikes, 

 distinguish the species. Native of the South Island of New Zealand, up 

 to 3500 ft. 



V. PINGUIFOLIA, Hooker fit. 



(Bot. Mag., t. 6147 (andt. 6587 as carn<x-ula).) 



A shrub i to 3 ft. high, branches at first erect, often ultimately prostrate; 

 minutely downy when young, stained with purple beneath each pair of 

 leaves. Leaves closely superposed in four rows, obovate, blunt at' the apex, 

 tapered to a broad stalkless base, \ to f in. long, J to f in. wide; quite 

 entire, concave or scoop-shaped, dull glaucous green. Flowers white, to 

 in. diameter, stalkless, crowded on spikes to i in. long which are borne in 

 the terminal leaf-axils;, stalk of spike downy. Calyx with four minutely 

 downy, oblong, blunt divisions. Corolla-tube scarcely as long as the calyx; 

 ovary and style downy. Seed-vessel oblong or obovate, rounded at the 

 apex, downy, nearly twice as long as the calyx. 



Native of the South Island of New Zealand; introduced about 1868. It 

 is killed by very severe frosts, but survives most of the winters in the South 

 of England, flowering about midsummer, although not abundantly nor 

 regularly. It is very similar to, and much confused with V. carnosula, 

 under which name it was figured in the Bot. Mag., t. 6587. The differences 

 between the two are in the often comparatively broader leaves of 

 V. carnosula, its glabrous ovary and style, and its ovate, pointed, glabrous 

 seed-vessel. They occur wild in the same region. 



