Vi Covent GPs T- Se Ciqawe, Cro ax AaRegetn 
| . Reena 
Veronzca. | SCROPHULARIAUEAE. 801 
SoutH Is~tanp: Marlborough—Awatere Valley, Sinclair / Kaikoura Mountains, 
Buchanan ! Hells Gates, H. J. Matihews; gorge of the Conway River, Mount Fyffe, 
Cockayne / Nelson—Wairau Gorge, 7’. F. C.; Tarndale, Hanmer River, Cockayne. 
1000-3000 ft. 
A well-marked plant, easily recognized by the peculiar habit, spreading and 
long-petioled linear-obovate glaucous leaves, trichotomous racemes much longer than 
the leaves, almost sessile flowers, and large bracts. Its nearest ally is probably 
V. Colensoi. | 
26 ft ¢ Le “% 
‘34. WV laevis (Benth. in DC Prodr. x (1846) 461.—A small perfectly 
glabrous densely branched shrub 1-5 ft. high; branches stout, erect, 
densely leafy above, below ringed with the scars of the fallen leaves ; 
bark black. Leaves decussate, close-set, erect and appressed, rarely farther 
apart and spreading, 4-2 in. long, +-4in. broad, ovate-oblong or obovate- 
oblong, obtuse or acute or apiculate, abruptly narrowed into a short 
thick petiole, very thick and coriaceous, rigid, concave above, keeled at 
the back; midrib stout, prominent beneath, usually excurrent at the 
tip; margins entire. Racemes 2-4 near the ends of the branchlets, . 
corymbosely branched, rarely simple, 2-14 in. long, dense-flowered ; rhachis 
stout, pubescent; bracts small, oblong-ovate, coriaceous, usually exceeding 
the lower pedicels. Flowers white, $-+in. diam. Calyx deeply 4-partite ; 
segments oblong or oblong-ovate, obtuse. Corolla-tube rather broad, less 
than twice as long as the calyx; segments oblong or oblong-ovate, obtuse. 
Capsule ovate or ovate-oblong, acute, about twice as long as the calyx.— 
Hook f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i (1853) 194; Handb. N.Z. Fl. (1864) 209; J. B. 
Armstr. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xiii (1881) 351; Cheesem. Man. N.Z. Fi. 
(1906) 515. (%) V. azurea Col. in Trans. N.Z. Inst. xxxi (1899) 277. 
NortH isuanp: Mount Hikurangi, Adams and Petrie! Mount Egmont, 7’. F. C., 
Buchanan! Tongariro, Bidwill, G. Mair! 7. F. C., Cockayne, &c.; volcanic plateau 
around Tongariro and Ruapehu, Colenso, T. Kirk! 7. F. C., Cockayne, Petrie ! 
&c. Ruahine and Kaimanawa Mountains, Colenso, H. Hill! Petrie, B. C. Aston / 
Mount Holdsworth, W. Townson! Tararua Mountains, Buchanan! Petrie. SoutH 
IstAanD: Marlborough—Mount Duppa, J. H. Macmahon ! 2500-5000 ft. De- 
cember—February. : 
The typical state of this is distinguished by the close-set imbricating and more 
or less appressed leaves, which are keeled at the back, but not truncate or subcordate 
at the base as in V. buaifolia, and by the usually corymbosely branched racemes. 
This latter peculiarity, Mr. N. E. Brown assures me, is well shown by the type 
specimens at Kew. It has been recorded from many districts in the South Island, 
from Nelson to Otago, but If have not seen any specimens that satisfactorily match 
those from the North Island. Most are referable to Armstrong’s V. monticola, which 
is a larger plant, with larger laxer foliage, and longer always simple racemes. Others 
correspond with the V. Cockayniana of this work, which has flatter and more obtuse 
glaucous leaves, black when dry, simple very pubescent racemes, and larger flowers. 
States of V. T'raversii, with more closely placed leaves than usual, have also had the 
name of V. laevis applied to them. 
35. V. elliptica Forst. f. Prodr. (1786) n. 10.—A copiously branched 
shrub or small tree 5-20 ft. high; branches terete, ringed with the scars 
of the fallen leaves, the younger ones more or less hoary with short soft 
white hairs, which are often arranged in two opposite lines. Leaves 
petiolate, close-set, horizontally spreading, uniform, 4-1} in. long, +4 in. 
broad, elliptic-oblong or obovate-oblong, apiculate, slightly truncate at 
the base, pale-green, coriaceous, nerveless, margins edged with a white 
pubescent line, midrib prominent beneath; petioles short, erect and 
appressed to the branch. Racemes numerous near the tips of the branches, 
short, 1-l}in. long, erect, glabrous or nearly so, laxly 4-12-flowered ; 
26—FIL. 
