Veronica odora Hook.f.

A neat shrub 2 to 5 ft high, with erect branches; young shoots pale green, glabrous, except for a thin strip of down reaching from the axil of one leaf to the opening between the pair next above it; leaf-bud with a pronounced sinus. Leaves in four superposed rows, 1⁄3 to 1⁄2 in. long, 3⁄16 to 1⁄4 in. wide, oblong inclined to obovate, pointed, rounded at the base, dark glossy green, perfectly glabrous, covered with minute dots beneath; stalk about 1⁄12 in. long, dilated where it joins the stem and slightly hairy there. Flowers white or pale pink, 1⁄4 to 1⁄3 in. across, produced in June and July at and near the apex of the shoots in closely packed clusters, 1⁄2 to 1 in. long, which are often branched and collectively form a corymb, 1 to 2 in. across, the stalks minutely downy. Sepals narrow oblong, rounded at the end, edged with minute hairs; seed-vessel about twice as long, glabrous. The specific epithet is due to its jasmine-like scent.

Native of the North and South Islands of New Zealand. The description above corresponds to the plants in cultivation under the synonym Hebe buxifolia, very distinct in general appearance from native grown specimens of V. odora, which have the leaves much more densely arranged on the stem, and less distinctly stalked. But in all essential particulars they appear to be the same. Probably the differences are due to the different environment of cultivated plants. It reaches up to 4,000 ft altitude in New Zealand, and is one of the hardiest members of this group. It flowers annually, but not freely.

Plants were collected from the North Island of New Zealand (originally referred by Bentham to V. buxifolia), and, by the younger Hooker, from the Auckland Islands lying between the South Island of New Zealand and Antarctica (described as Veronica odora). These collections are inseparable, except perhaps, according to L.B. Moore, for the entire margins of V. buxifolia (not ‘minutely crenulated’ as in typical V. odora)

Plants cultivated under the name Hebe anomala are distinct in their narrower, more pointed leaves and narrow-elliptic leaf-bud sinus. The hardy clone cultivated under that name and now so common in gardens is bushy and grows to about 3 ft high and more in width. This form is also characterised by the pale leaf-margins and young stems. In the original introduction to Kew the young stems were tinged with red, and the same character is noted by J. B. Armstrong in his redescription of the species (Tr. N.Z. Inst., Vol. 13, p. 355).

[Bean’s description of H. anomala: A shrub 3 to 5 ft high, with slender branches, minutely downy in a strip above each leaf-axil when young. Leaves 1⁄3 to 3⁄4 in. long, oval-lanceolate or narrow-oblong, pointed, entire, tapering at the base to a very short, broad stalk (leaf-bud sinus elliptical), somewhat keeled, dark shining green and quite glabrous. Flowers white or pale pink, produced in June and July in a cluster of spikes at the end of the shoot, and thus forming a panicle, or several panicles, each 1 to 11⁄2 in. long, and nearly as wide. Corolla 1⁄4 to 1⁄3 in. across, with a slender tube about twice the length of the calyx. Anthers blue. Seed-vessel ovate-oblong, glabrous. Bot. Mag., t. 7360. In the original introduction to Kew the young stems were tinged with red, and the same character is noted by J. B. Armstrong in his redescription of the species (Tr. N.Z. Inst., Vol. 13, p. 355). The type had a three-lobed calyx through fusion of the two posterior lobes (whence the epithet anomala), but this is not a constant character. Very few matching specimens have been found since the type was first collected. The hardy clone now so common in gardens is bushy and grows to about 3 ft high and more in width, also characterised by the pale leaf-margins and young stems.]