About Veronica brachysiphon (Summerh.) Bean
Veronica brachysiphon (Summerh.) Bean is a bushy, rounded, usually closely branched and compact shrub that grows up to 1.8 meters tall. A key feature that distinguishes this species from similar plants is the small, narrow, acute sinus on its leaf buds. Its leaves are variable in size, measuring 8.5–25.5 mm long and 3.3–8 mm wide. Unlike some related species, the leaves are not glaucous; they are bright green, glossy, and have more stomata on their upper surface than the closely related Veronica venustula. This species usually flowers between December and February. Its flowers are white with mauve anthers, they are pedicellate (borne on a stalk) and have small bracts. A second distinctive trait of Veronica brachysiphon is that the cylindrical or funnel-shaped corolla tube is longer than the calyces at its base. Male and female flowers grow on separate individual plants. This species can be mistaken for Veronica divaricata: Veronica brachysiphon is a compact subalpine shrub with simple inflorescences, while Veronica divaricata has a more open growth habit and branched inflorescences. However, some individual plants growing in the Nelson Lakes area have intermediate forms between the two species. Veronica brachysiphon is endemic to New Zealand, where it occurs mostly in subalpine areas of Marlborough and Canterbury, from the main divide to the eastern foothills. Its northern distribution limit is the Red Hills Range near Nelson, and its southern distribution limit is near Mount Hutt. It grows most commonly in shrubland, but can also be found in beech forest near the treeline.
