Veronica leiophylla Cheeseman

For reasons explained in Flora of New Zealand, Vol. 1, p. 947, the correct application of the name V. leiophylla is uncertain. Plants in cultivation under this name in Britain do, however, agree moderately well with Cheeseman’s description and also with the type material of V. parviflora var. phillyreifolia Hook, f., which Cheeseman cited as a synonym of his V. leiophylla. Since the cultivated plants cannot be identified with any species recognised in Flora of New Zealand, it seems reasonable to retain the name V. leiophylla for them, at least until the difficult group to which they belong has been further studied.

The form of V. leiophylla previously treated as V. gracillima has (as interpreted in Flora of New Zealand) the following distinguishing characters: Branchlets finely downy. Leaves of rather spongy texture, narrow-lanceolate, about 11⁄2 in. long, 1⁄4 in. wide; leaf-bud sinus present, though sometimes very small. Racemes longer than leaves, sometimes very much longer; pedicels long, bracts small and narrow. Corolla white or pale coloured; tube not much longer than calyx. Capsules glabrous, about twice as long as calyx. Cultivated plants correspond to this form in many respects, notably the disproportionately long racemes in comparison with the leaves (5 to 6 in. long with peduncle, leaves about 11⁄4 in. long), and corolla-tubes that are only slightly longer than the calyces in length (instead of greatly exceeding them).

Native of the South Island of New Zealand, mainly west of the divide, found in damp places and attaining about 6 ft in height. A plant at Kew on the Temperate House Terrace is of compact habit and bears in July a profusion of racemes up to 6 in. long – a remarkable length considering that the leaves are only 1 1⁄4 in. or slightly more long.