Class
Order
Family
Genus
Classification
Nomenclature
Scientific Name:
Veronica chionohebe Garn.-Jones in Garnock-Jones et al., Taxon 56: 576 (2007)
Synonymy:
- ≡ Veronica thomsonii var. glabra Cheeseman, Man. New Zealand Fl. 540 (1906)
- ≡ Chionohebe glabra (Cheeseman) Heads, Bot. Soc. Otago Newsl. 5: 4 (1987)
Lectotype (designated by Garnock-Jones et al. 2007): Mt Pisa, Petrie, AK 8335 (upper left hand piece)
Etymology:
Description
Low mat or cushion sub-shrub to 0.05 m tall. Stems decumbent to erect, glabrous. Leaf bud indistinct, its outer leaves fully grown, diverging. Leaves sub-decussate, erecto-patent to erect; lamina thin, oblanceolate to obovate, spathulate or rarely lanceolate to broadly ovate, 1.8–4.6 mm long, 0.7–2.3 mm wide, dull, medium to pale green in distal half, brownish to purplish near base; veins not evident; surfaces glabrous or with isolated trichomes distally or about middle; margin glabrous or very sparsely ciliate, entire; apex obtuse to sub-acute; base slightly narrowed; petiole absent. Inflorescence a solitary, axillary, bibracteate flower; flowers female or male on separate plants, ♂ > ♀; bracts opposite, narrowly lanceolate to ovate, rarely oblanceolate, or narrowly to very narrowly elliptic, ± equalling and investing calyx; pedicel absent. Calyx lobes 5, obtuse to sub-acute, 1.3–2.5 mm long, equal, glabrous or sparsely eglandular-ciliate, rarely a few hairs on upper abaxial surface. Corolla 1.5–4.1 mm diameter; tube white, 1.6–3.5 mm long, ≥ calyx, glabrous; lobes 5, white, erecto-patent to spreading, equal, narrowly to broadly ovate, 1–2 mm long, obtuse; nectar guides absent. Stamen filaments white, 0.16–0.90 mm long; anthers purple. Style glabrous, 2.6–5.5 mm long. Capsules angustiseptate, emarginate, glabrous, 1.9–2.5 mm long, 1.5–1.9 mm at widest point. Seeds ellipsoid, flattened, smooth, pale brown to brown, 0.5–0.8 mm long.
Recognition
birleyi | spectabilis | trifida | densifolia | thomsonii | pulvinaris | chionohebe | ciliolata | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Habit | lax sub-shrub | lax sub-shrub | lax sub-shrub | lax sub-shrub | cushion plant | cushion plant | cushion plant | cushion plant |
Stem hairs | eglandular & a few glandular, spreading | mixed glandular & eglandular, spreading | eglandular, retrorse | eglandular, retrorse | glabrous | glabrous | glabrous | glabrous |
Leaf size (mm) | 4.0–12 × 2.5–11 | 4.5–13 × 2.5–6.0 | 2–10 × 1–7 | 2–6.5 × 0.7–3 | 1.7–4.7 × 0.7–2.6 | 1.8–4.8 × 0.5–2 | 1.75–5 × 0.75–2.25 | 1.75–4.5 × 0.8–2.8 |
Leaf margins | deeply crenate to lobed | deeply crenate to lobed | shallowly toothed to lobed, rarely entire | usually entire, rarely 1–2 teeth or lobes | entire | entire | entire | entire |
Lamina | subcoriaceous, flat; margin not thickened, smooth | subcoriaceous, flat; margin not thickened, smooth | subcoriaceous, flat; margin not thickened, smooth | coriaceous, keeled, with thickened papillate margin | thin, flat; margin not thickened, smooth | thin, flat; margin not thickened, smooth | thin, flat; margin not thickened, smooth | thin, flat; margin not thickened, smooth |
Leaf hairs: adaxial | scattered eglandular | mixed eglandular & glandular | glabrous | glabrous | eglandular: in broad band across middle, occasionally scattered distally | eglandular appressed: scattered or in a central patch on distal half | absent | absent or isolated and scattered in distal ½ |
Leaf hairs: abaxial | scattered eglandular | mixed eglandular & glandular | glabrous | glabrous | glabrous, or stiff, eglandular, isolated distal hairs | glabrous or eglandular appressed scattered distally | absent or isolated in distal ½ | absent or isolated and scattered in distal ½ |
Leaf hairs: margin | eglandular-ciliate | mixed eglandular & glandular-ciliate | long glandular-ciliate | stiff eglandular-ciliate | ciliate in basal ⅔ with apical tuft | eglandular appressed: ciliate | absent or scattered cilia | ciliate throughout or in basal or distal half, usually with apical tuft |
Sexual system | cosexual | cosexual | cosexual | cosexual | dioecious | dioecious | dioecious | dioecious |
Inflorescence | 2–3 flowers, sometimes solitary bibracteolate | 2–3 flowers, sometimes solitary bibracteolate | 2–3 flowers, sometimes solitary bibracteolate | solitary bibracteolate | solitary bibracteolate | solitary bibracteolate | solitary bibracteolate | solitary bibracteolate |
Peduncle (mm) | 2–4 | 5–15 | 2–10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Pedicel (mm) | 0.3–1.5 | 2.5–5 | 0.5–7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Calyx lobes | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Corolla lobes | (4–)5(–6) | 4(–5) | 5(–6) | 5(–6) | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Corolla diameter (mm) | 7–10 | 18–25 | 15–20 | 7–16 | 2.5–5 | 2.5–6 | 1.5–4.1 | 2.1–6.5 |
Corolla shape | funnelform | funnelform | funnelform | funnelform | rotate | rotate | rotate | rotate |
Capsule size (mm) | 3–4 × 3–4 | 4–5 × 4–5 | 4.5–6 × 2.5–3 | 2.7–5 × 1.7–4.25 | 1.5–3 × 1–2 | 1–3 × 1.2–2.7 | 1.9–2.5 × 1.5–1.9 | 2.5–3.5 × 1.4–3.1 |
Capsule hairs | glabrous | mixed glandular & eglandular-hairy at apex | glandular-ciliate, sometimes glabrous | glabrous | glabrous to densely hairy at apex | eglandular-hairy, especially at apex | absent | absent or apical |
Distribution
South Island: Otago (Pisa Range, Carrick Range, Old Woman Range, northern Old Man Range, Garvie Mountains).
Habitat
Cushion herb-field and fell-field, damp sheltered sites in gullies and slopes often downhill from summer snow-banks in melt-water, in stony seepages and hollows. Recorded elevations range from 1360 to 1890 m.
Biostatus
Indigenous (Endemic)
Hybridisation
V. chionohebe × trifida (see under V. trifida).
V. chionohebe × thomsonii. V. chionohebe and V. thomsonii grow together in the Garvie Mountains and Pisa Range, and it is possible that hybridisation occurs between them. This might be the reason that molecular systematics techniques have so far not provided evidence of genetic divergence between them, despite morphological and habitat differences (Meudt 2008; Meudt & Bayly 2008).
Phenology
Flowers: January–March (sometimes December); fruits: March and probably later.
Cytology
2n = 42 (Hair 1970, as “P[ygmea] thomsonii var. glabra”).
Notes
Veronica chionohebe is classified in V. subg. Pseudoveronica sect. Hebe and informally in the “snow hebe” group (Albach & Meudt 2010).
V. chionohebe is closely related to V. thomsonii although clearly recognisable by its morphology and habitat. Meudt (2008) and Meudt and Bayly (2008, as Chionohebe glabra) discussed its species status in relation to its possible derivation as an ecotype of V. thomsonii and the extent of gene flow between them through hybridisation.
Male plants have larger corollas than female plants do, and large, dark-coloured anthers.
Images
Bibliography
Albach, D.C.; Meudt, H.M. 2010: Phylogeny of Veronica in the Southern and Northern Hemispheres based on plastid, nuclear ribosomal and nuclear low-copy DNA. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 54: 457–471.
Cheeseman, T.F. 1906: Manual of the New Zealand Flora. Government Printer, Wellington.
de Lange, P.J.; Norton, D.A.; Courtney, S.P.; Heenan, P.B.; Barkla, J.W.; Cameron, E.K.; Hitchmough, R.; Townsend, A.J. 2009: Threatened and uncommon plants of New Zealand (2008 revision). New Zealand Journal of Botany 47: 61–96. [as Chionohebe glabra (Cheeseman) Heads] [Naturally uncommon]
de Lange, P.J.; Norton, D.A.; Heenan, P.B.; Courtney, S.P.; Molloy, B.P.J.; Ogle, C.C.; Rance, B.D. 2004: Threatened and uncommon plants of New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Botany 42(1): 45–76. [as Chionohebe glabra (Cheeseman) Heads]
de Lange, P.J.; Rolfe, J.R.; Barkla J.W.; Courtney, S.P.; Champion, P.D.; Perrie, L.R.; Beadel, S.N.; Ford, K.A.; Breitwieser, I.; Schönberger, I.; Hindmarsh-Walls, R.; Heenan, P.B.; Ladley, K. 2018: Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2017. New Zealand Threat Classification Series. No. 22. [Naturally Uncommon]
de Lange, P.J.; Rolfe, J.R.; Champion, P.D.; Courtney, S.P.; Heenan, P.B.; Barkla, J.W.; Cameron, E.K.; Norton, D.A.; Hitchmough, R.A. 2013: Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2012. New Zealand Threat Classification Series 3. Department of Conservation, Wellington. [as Chionohebe glabra (Cheeseman) Heads] [Naturally Uncommon]
Garnock-Jones, P.J. 2023: Veronica. In: Breitwieser, I. (ed.) Flora of New Zealand – Seed Plants. Fascicle 9. Manaaki Whenua Press, Lincoln.
Garnock-Jones, P.J.; Albach, D.; Briggs, B.G. 2007: Botanical names in Southern Hemisphere Veronica (Plantaginaceae): sect. Detzneria, sect. Hebe, and sect. Labiatoides. Taxon 56: 571–582.
Hair, J.B. 1970: Contributions to a chromosome atlas of the New Zealand flora — 13. Parahebe and Pygmea (Scrophulariaceae). New Zealand Journal of Botany 8: 255–259.
Heads, M. 1987: New names in New Zealand Scrophulariaceae. Botanical Society of Otago Newsletter 5: 4–11.
Heads, M.J. 1994: Biogeography and evolution in the Hebe complex (Scrophulariaceae): Leonohebe and Chionohebe. Candollea 49: 81–119. [as Chionohebe glabra (Cheeseman) Heads; Veronica thomsonii var. glabra Cheeseman]
Meudt, H.M. 2008: Taxonomic revision of Australasian snow hebes (Veronica, Plantaginaceae). Australian Systematic Botany 21: 387–421.
Meudt, H.M.; Bayly, M.J. 2008: Phylogeographic patterns in the Australasian genus Chionohebe (Veronica s.l., Plantaginaceae) based on AFLP and chloroplast DNA sequences. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 47: 319–338.
