HO 
had an attraction for me, and it will ever 
remain one of the favourites of my veronica 
bed. 
Then let us look at Piebeia for a moment. 
Of the same creeping character as Bidwilli, 
how different is its foliage, and vet now 
interesting. Pushing along with some 
vigour and luxuriance of growth, its soft 
procumbent stems and ornate leaves appeal 
at once to the onlooker as unlike those of any 
other veronica—something of anentirely dif- 
ferent character irdeed, yet with an attrac- 
tive charm. Of its pigmy flowers it may 
truly be said that they, too, seem to be 
quite unallied to the fiowers of any of the 
veronica tribe. Standing out solitarily, 
pin-head in size, lavender in colour, tney 
look almost out of place in association with 
the luxuriant foliage of the plant. But 
Nature often provides these sharp contrasts, 
and in this instance, as in many others, 
doubtful criticism must not be mine. 
And of Tetrasticha how must I write? 
Tf Plebeia is in foliage ang habit so unlike 
its congeners, how widely different is this 
plant of the four branchlets—how stiangely 
at variance with the ordinary type of stem 
and branchlet and leaf. Its colour also-— 
grey-green, with perhaps the faintest tinge 
of blue to deepen the grey—how it at once 
arrests the eye! Its flowers I have not 
seen: my specimen plant is too young; but 
I see they are described by Mr Cheeseman 
as blue in colour. Meantime I must be 
content with the pleasure of anticipation, 
for I am not likely to have the privilege 
of feasting on the beauties and peculiarities 
of this and other rarer species of the genus 
in their mountain homes—that must be left 
for the enthusiasts of less mature vears. 
And now let us consider for a moment, 
before dealing with the whipcords, some 
of the other smaller species of this prolific 
form of our vegetable life—Lycopodioides, 
Muelleri, Astoni, let us say, as three species 
of the smaller type of veronica. 
How appropriately named is_ Lycopo- 
dioides. Inevitably the interested visitor 
who is making his first acquaintance with 
these remarkable specimens of New Zea- 
land’s plant life, must exclaim, ‘‘What a 
