Veronica venustula Colenso

Bushy and often rounded shrub to 1.8 m tall. Stems erect, eglandular-pubescent; hairs bifarious; occasionally uniform, minute eglandular hairs also present. Leaf bud distinct, its leaves appressed at margins until fully grown; sinus narrow, acute. Leaves opposite-decussate to weakly sub-distichous, erecto-patent to spreading; lamina coriaceous to rigid, obovate to elliptic, 4–29 mm long, 3–10 mm wide, glossy green to dark green above, paler and duller beneath; midrib evident; surfaces glabrous or rarely with eglandular hairs along midrib above; margin eglandular-ciliolate when young, often with a few glandular cilia, becoming glabrous to minutely papillate with age, entire; apex sub-acute to obtuse, mostly acute, keeled beneath and weakly apiculate; base cuneate; petiole 0.5–6.0 mm long. Inflorescence a lateral raceme or sometimes ternate or rarely a compound raceme, 14–68 mm long; flowers crowded, 7–75, all bisexual; bracts opposite below, becoming alternate above, lanceolate to ovate, ≥ pedicels; pedicels erecto-patent, 0.5–7.0 mm long, eglandular-hairy all around or sometimes almost glabrous. Calyx lobes 4, sub-acute or rarely obtuse, 2–3 mm long, equal or sub-equal, mixed glandular- and eglandular-hairy. Corolla 7–9 mm diameter; tube white, 3.0–4.2 mm long, > calyx, eglandular-hairy inside; lobes 4, white, or purplish when young, erecto-patent to spreading, sub-equal, usually elliptic to ovate, sometimes lanceolate; nectar guides absent. Stamen filaments white or tinged purplish, 3–5 mm long, rarely to 7 mm; anthers magenta to purple. Style glabrous, 6.5–9.0 mm long, rarely to 11.0 mm. Capsules latiseptate, sub-acute, glabrous, 3.5–5.0 mm long, 2.3–3.5 mm at widest point. Seeds ellipsoid to ovoid or oblong, flattened, smooth, brown, 1.3–2.2 mm long.

Penalpine and sub-alpine scrub and grassland, at lower altitudes on Aorangi Range. Recorded elevations range from 121 to 1525 m.

V. venustula plants have been reported to hybridise with V. stricta plants, a hybrid known as Veronica ×carsei.

A hybrid between V. venustula and V. tetragona subsp. subsimilis (V. ×laevastonii) has been reported (Garnock-Jones 2008).

Flowers: December–March; fruits: February–April.

2n = 120 (see Bayly & Kellow 2006, as Hebe venustula).

Veronica venustula is classified in V. subg. Pseudoveronica sect. Hebe and the informal group “Apertae” (small-leaved) (Albach & Meudt 2010; Bayly & Kellow 2006). The very close similarity of V. brachysiphon and V. venustula suggests a close relationship. These two are associated with a large group of species that are characterised by mostly green leaves shorter than 40 mm long, and including several others with 2n = 120 (V. evenosa, V. urvilleana) or 2n = 122 (V. topiaria).