Classification
Class
Magnoliopsida Brongn.
Order
Lamiales Bromhead
Family
Plantaginaceae Juss.
Genus
Veronica L.
 Nomenclature
Scientific Name:
Veronica stricta var. egmontiana (L.B.Moore) Garn.-Jones in Garnock-Jones et al., Taxon 56: 579 (2007)
Synonymy:
  • ≡ Hebe stricta var. egmontiana L.B.Moore in Allan, Fl. New Zealand 1, 907 (1961)
Holotype: Mt Egmont, subalpine scrub, L. Cockayne No. 8162, 18 March 1916, WELT 5365. Isotypes: AK 7778, CHR 328767 (large piece on left only; small piece on right is probably V. phormiiphila, i.e., not part of the same gathering as the holotype), CHR 328766, K
Etymology:
The epithet egmontiana is a reference to the English-language name for Mt Taranaki, Mt Egmont, where the variety is found.
Vernacular Name(s):
koromiko
 Description

Stems black when dry, glabrous or with bifarious, eglandular hairs. Leaves narrowly lanceolate to linear, 36–106 mm long, 5.5–14.5 mm wide; lamina sub-coriaceous, sparsely eglandular-puberulent on midrib above, glabrous on midrib beneath; margin glabrous at the edge but a few short papillae on lamina near the margin above. Calyx lobes glabrous on faces, mixed glandular- and eglandular-ciliolate on margins. Corolla tube = lobes.

 Recognition

V. stricta var. egmontiana plants are recognised by their narrow sub-coriaceous leaves. They share glabrous stems and glabrous faces of the calyx lobes with var. lata and some plants of var. stricta. V. stricta var. lata plants are distinguished from var. egmontiana plants by their broader, firmer-textured leaves, which have short cilia along the margins.

 Distribution

North Island: Taranaki (Mt Taranaki and Pouakai Range).

Veronica stricta var. egmontiana distribution map based on databased records at AK, CHR & WELT. Image: K.Boardman © Landcare Research 2022 CC-BY 4.0
Veronica stricta var. egmontiana distribution map based on databased records at AK, CHR & WELT. Image: K.Boardman © Landcare Research 2022 CC-BY 4.0
 Habitat

Forest margins and scrub, lowland to sub-alpine. Recorded elevations range from 335 to 1311 m.

 Biostatus
Indigenous (Endemic)
 Phenology

Flowers: January–May; fruits: January–May, persisting all year.

 Cytology

2n = 80 (see Bayly & Kellow 2006, as Hebe stricta var. egmontiana).

 Notes

The name koromiko is probably also applied to this variety, but no specific names have been recorded.

 Images
Veronica stricta var. egmontiana. Sprig. Scale = 10 mm. Image: M.J. Bayly & A.V. Kellow © Te Papa CC-BY-NC 3.0 NZ
Veronica stricta var. egmontiana. Sprig. Scale = 10 mm. Image: M.J. Bayly & A.V. Kellow © Te Papa CC-BY-NC 3.0 NZ
Veronica stricta var. egmontiana. Leaf bud with no sinus. Scale = 1 mm. Image: W.M. Malcolm © Te Papa CC-BY-NC 3.0 NZ
Veronica stricta var. egmontiana. Leaf bud with no sinus. Scale = 1 mm. Image: W.M. Malcolm © Te Papa CC-BY-NC 3.0 NZ
Veronica stricta var. egmontiana. Leaf surfaces, adaxial (left) and abaxial (right). Scale = 10 mm. Image: W.M. Malcolm © Te Papa CC-BY-NC 3.0 NZ
Veronica stricta var. egmontiana. Leaf surfaces, adaxial (left) and abaxial (right). Scale = 10 mm. Image: W.M. Malcolm © Te Papa CC-BY-NC 3.0 NZ
Veronica stricta var. egmontiana. Leaf margin, showing distant very short hairs. Scale = 0.1 mm. Image: W.M. Malcolm © Te Papa CC-BY-NC 3.0 NZ
Veronica stricta var. egmontiana. Leaf margin, showing distant very short hairs. Scale = 0.1 mm. Image: W.M. Malcolm © Te Papa CC-BY-NC 3.0 NZ
Veronica stricta var. egmontiana. Flowers. Scale = 1 mm. Image: W.M. Malcolm © Te Papa CC-BY-NC 3.0 NZ
Veronica stricta var. egmontiana. Flowers. Scale = 1 mm. Image: W.M. Malcolm © Te Papa CC-BY-NC 3.0 NZ
 Bibliography
Bayly, M.J.; Kellow, A.V. 2006: An Illustrated Guide to New Zealand Hebes. Te Papa Press, Wellington. [as Hebe stricta var. egmontiana L.B.Moore]
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 Hebe stricta var. egmontiana L.B.Moore] [Not Threatened]
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.