Best recognised by the dense curved racemes, small flowers, narrow corolla-lobes, and small densely compacted capsules. It is a purely littoral plant, abundant on cliffs near the sea in the East Cape district, but has not been seen at Whangarei or Cook Strait of late years. The South Island locality of Tarndale, ascribed to it in the Handbook, is almost certainly erroneous.
5. V. divergens, Cheesem. n. sp.—A much-branched shrub 2–5 ft. high; branches stout, spreading, the younger ones puberulous. Leaves spreading, sessile or very shortly petiolate, ¾–1¼ in. long, ¼–½ in. broad, oblong or linear-oblong to elliptic-oblong or -ovate, acute or obtuse, narrowed at the base, flat, coriaceous, quite glabrous, midrib distinct on both surfaces, margins entire. Racemes axillary and opposite near the tips of the branches, stout, peduncled, 2–3 in. long or more, dense-flowered; rhachis pubescent; pedicels as long as the calyx; bracts equalling the pedicels or rather shorter. Flowers ⅕–¼ in. diam., white. Calyx 4-partite; segments oblongovate, obtuse or acute, margins ciliolate. Corolla-tube short and broad, not exceeding the calyx; limb longer than the tube, 4-lobed; lobes broadly oblong, obtuse, the anterior one narrower. Stamens exserted. Capsule ⅙ in. long, broadly elliptic-oblong, subacute, compressed, glabrous, twice as long as the calyx.
South Island: Nelson—Coast near Brighton, to the south of Westport, Townson!
Although unwilling to create new species in a genus like Veronica, I feel compelled to assign specific rank to this, which appears to be well characterized by the small oblong or elliptic-oblong flat spreading leaves, dense racemes, very short and broad corolla-tube, and broadly oblong subacute capsule. In some respects it approaches V. macroura var. dubia, but its nearest ally is probably V. salicifolia var. Kirkii.
6. V. ligustrifolia, A. Cunn. in Bot. Mag. sub t. 3461.—A small laxly branched glabrous shrub 1–3 ft. high, rarely more; bark greyish-brown; branchlets slender, twiggy, terete. Leaves spreading, sessile or nearly so, 1–2 in. long, rarely more, ¼–½ in. broad, oblong or linear-oblong to oblong-lanceolate, obtuse or subacute or more rarely acute, flat, quite entire. Racemes near the tips of the branches, 2–3 in. long, slender, rather lax-flowered; rhachis, pedicels, and bracts puberuious or almost glabrate. Flowers rather small, white, ⅕–¼ in. diam. Calyx deeply 4-partite; segments ovate-lanceolate, acute, glabrous or the margins minutely ciliolate. Corolla-tube funnel-shaped, shorter than the calyx; limb longer than the tube, spreading, 4-lobed; lobes acute. Capsule ⅕ in. long, ovate, acute, compressed, hardly twice as long as the calyx.—A. Cunn. Precur. n. 375; Benth. in D.C. Prodr. x. 460; Raoul, Choix, 43; Hook. f. Fl. Nov. Zel. i. 192, and Handb. N.Z. Fl. 208 (in part only).
North Island: Auckland—North Cape district, J. Adams and T.F.C.; Bay of Islands, Cunningham, Colenso, and others; Whangarei, T.F.C.
