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 magellanica J.F.Gmel. Hebe menziesii (Benth.) Cockayne & Allan Veronica decussata Moench Veronica magellanica Juss. ex Dippel, not validly publ. Veronica marginata Colenso Veronica menziesii Benth. Veronica simpsonii Phil.

Veronica elliptica, synonym Hebe elliptica, is a plant of the family Plantaginaceae.^[1] It is native to New Zealand (including the Antipodean Islands and the Chatham Islands), south Argentina, south Chile 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.^{[citation needed]}

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

• "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.