- ≡ Hebe pimeleoides subsp. faucicola Kellow & Bayly in Kellow et al., New Zealand J. Bot. 41: 242 (2003)
Small, bushy shrub to 0.9 m tall. Stems ascending to erect. Leaves lanceolate to elliptic or sub-orbicular, 7.5–15.5 mm long, 1.8–8.7 mm wide. Surfaces of leaves, bracts and calyx glabrous. Flowers 4–24 per inflorescence; corolla pale purplish, fading pink or white.
V. pimeleoides subsp. faucicola plants are often larger than plants of subsp. pimeleoides and have larger leaves and flowers (8–10 mm diameter), with paler corollas.
South Island: Otago (Manuherikia, Clutha, and Kawarau Valleys).
Rock outcrops and cliff faces on steep hillsides and in gorges. Recorded elevations range from 200 to 700 m.
Flowers: December–March; fruits: January–May, persisting until October.
2n = 40, 80 (see Bayly & Kellow 2006, as Hebe pimeleoides subsp. faucicola).
Variation patterns in both morphological and chemical characters were described, discussed, and related to infraspecific taxonomy by Kellow et al. (2003).