Veronica scopulorum (Bayly, de Lange & Garn.-Jones) Garn.-Jones

Small, bushy shrub to 0.7 m tall. Stems erect to ascending, eglandular-pubescent; hairs bifarious. Leaf bud distinct, its leaves appressed at margins until fully grown; sinus acute. Leaves opposite-decussate to sub-distichous, erecto-patent to spreading; lamina sub-coriaceous, linear-elliptic to elliptic to narrowly oblanceolate, 14–55 mm long, 4–16 mm wide, glossy green to dark green above, dull glaucous beneath, midrib evident; surfaces glabrous except for  eglandular hairs along midrib above; margin glabrous except for eglandular hairs on petiole, minutely papillate, entire; apex acute to obtuse and plicate-mucronate, sometimes weakly; base cuneate; petiole 2–5 mm long. Inflorescence a lateral raceme, usually tripartite or sometimes simple or compound, 15–46 mm long; flowers crowded, 7–40, all bisexual; bracts opposite-decussate below, becoming alternate above, linear to lanceolate or rarely ovate, slightly < to slightly > pedicels; pedicels erecto-patent, 0.5–4.0 mm long, eglandular-hairy all around. Calyx lobes 4, sometimes the anterior pair fused in lower ⅓, acute, 1.5–2.3 mm, sub-equal, eglandular-ciliolate or mixed glandular- and eglandular-ciliolate. Corolla 6–8 mm diameter; tube white, 3.0–4.2 mm long, > calyx, glabrous; lobes 4, pale purplish or white, sub-erect to spreading, sub-equal, lanceolate to elliptic to oblong, 2.5–3.5 mm long, sub-acute; nectar guides absent. Stamen filaments white, 3–5 mm long; anthers pale purplish or white. Style glabrous, 6–9 mm long. Capsules latiseptate, acute, glabrous, 3.2–4.5 mm long, 2–3 mm at widest point. Seeds ellipsoid to ovoid or oblong, flattened, smooth, pale brown, 1.1–1.4 mm long.

Veronica scopulorum is one of only two North Island species of Veronica that are characterised by glaucous leaves; the other is V. colensoi. V. colensoi plants differ in having leaves that are glaucous on both surfaces, corolla tubes about equalling the calyx, and glabrous calyx margins.

V. scopulorum leaves are deeply folded along the midrib to give a very deep groove above and a very prominent midrib beneath, and each edge of the lamina is curved to make the leaf m-shaped in cross-section. For this reason, the leaf bud is tetragonous with concave faces in section, and this contrasts with the similar V. rigidula of Nelson, which has buds that are also tetragonous but with convex faces.

The bark of older stems of V. scopulorum plants is thick and corky, and on young stems the swelling below the leaf is transversely wrinkled.

Outcrops and cliffs of limestone on ridges in forest. Recorded elevations range from 335 to 525 m.

Flowers: September–November; fruits: September–April.

2n = 40 (see Bayly & Kellow 2006, as Hebe scopulorum).

Veronica scopulorum is classified in V. subg. Pseudoveronica sect. Hebe and the informal group “Apertae” (small-leaved) (Albach & Meudt 2010; Bayly & Kellow 2006). ITS sequence data suggest V. scopulorum and V. colensoi are sister species; this is supported by their close similarity and North Island distributions. Beyond that, their relationships are likely to be with other species that are characterised by glaucous leaves, all of which occur in the South Island, such as V. rigidula .