Veronica elliptica

Veronica elliptica
Te Miko, West Coast, New Zealand
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Lamiales
Family:	Plantaginaceae
Genus:	Veronica
Section:	Veronica sect. Hebe
Species:	V. elliptica
Binomial name
Veronica elliptica G.Forst.[1]
Synonyms[1]
Hebe elliptica(G.Forst.) Pennell Hebe magellanicaJ.F.Gmel. Hebe menziesii(Benth.) Cockayne & Allan Veronica decussataMoench Veronica magellanicaJuss. ex Dippel, not validly publ. Veronica marginataColenso Veronica menziesiiBenth. Veronica simpsoniiPhil.

Veronica elliptica, synonymHebe elliptica, is a plant of the familyPlantaginaceae.^[1] It is native to New Zealand (including the Antipodean Islands and the Chatham Islands), Patagonia and the Falkland Islands.^[1] It is an evergreen, bushy shrub of 1 m or more in height, with green, oval leaves, 2–4 cm long. Flowers are white to pale mauve.

Branches from plants of Veronica elliptica on Disappointment Island, Auckland Islands, New Zealand were used by the survivors of the shipwreck of the Dundonald to build a coracle and oars which they eventually used to successfully reach Auckland Island.^[2]

References

1. "Veronica elliptica G.Forst.", Plants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, retrieved 2022-10-09
2. Escott-Inman, Herbert (1911). The Castaways of Disappointment Island. London: S.W. Partridge & Co.

• "Veronica elliptica". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
• Hebe Society entry
• Rhodora 23:39. 1921.
• Allan, H. H. B. et al. 1961–. Flora of New Zealand.
• Encke, F. et al. 1984. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 13. Auflage.
• Marticorena, C. & M. Quezada. 1985. Catalogo de la flora vascular de Chile.
• Moore, D. M. 1983. Flora of Tierra del Fuego.
• Zuloaga, F. O. & O. Morrone, eds. 1996. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares de la República Argentina. I. Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae y Angiospermae (Monocotyledonae), II. Dicotyledonae. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 60, 74., 1999.