Veronica pulvinaris
Veronica pulvinaris
syn Chionohebe pulvinaris, Pygmaea pulvinaris.
Cushion plants are attractive due to their tightly packed growth, ability to hug the natural contours and variety of leaf patterns.
Veronica pulvinaris is one of the more common and most distinct of the cushion species found in the mountains of the South Island of NZ.
As can be seen it has been classified and named several times. Currently it is included in the large Genus Veronica with all the other Hebes and Veronicas worldwide.
Flowering in late spring and early summer the moss like cushions can become densely covered in white flowers with their distinct twin blue anthers. Metcalf (1993) attributes W. B. Brockie describing the flowers as filled with diluted ink when they are flied with water from rain or dew and reflect the blue colour through the water.
The soft, grey green, moss like, velvety cushions can be 2-4 cm thick and up to 20cm across, although usually not this big. Leaves are held on slender stems quite tightly packed together like tiles on a roof (imbricated). The velvety texture comes from the sparse but coarse and stiff hairs on the upper side and the leaf tip.
Found naturally growing in Nelson Marlborough and eastern South Island mountains from low to high alpine as far south as South Canterbury. Growing on exposed rock, ridges and saddles, snow tussock grassland and herb fields as well as on loose debris and fellfields.
It can be cultivated and grown in a well-drained soil mix and must be well watered in summer. Note it is usually covered in snow in winter which protects it from extreme cold and winter rains which may damage the plant.
syn Chionohebe pulvinaris, Pygmaea pulvinaris.
Cushion plants are attractive due to their tightly packed growth, ability to hug the natural contours and variety of leaf patterns.
Veronica pulvinaris is one of the more common and most distinct of the cushion species found in the mountains of the South Island of NZ.
As can be seen it has been classified and named several times. Currently it is included in the large Genus Veronica with all the other Hebes and Veronicas worldwide.
Flowering in late spring and early summer the moss like cushions can become densely covered in white flowers with their distinct twin blue anthers. Metcalf (1993) attributes W. B. Brockie describing the flowers as filled with diluted ink when they are flied with water from rain or dew and reflect the blue colour through the water.
The soft, grey green, moss like, velvety cushions can be 2-4 cm thick and up to 20cm across, although usually not this big. Leaves are held on slender stems quite tightly packed together like tiles on a roof (imbricated). The velvety texture comes from the sparse but coarse and stiff hairs on the upper side and the leaf tip.
Found naturally growing in Nelson Marlborough and eastern South Island mountains from low to high alpine as far south as South Canterbury. Growing on exposed rock, ridges and saddles, snow tussock grassland and herb fields as well as on loose debris and fellfields.
It can be cultivated and grown in a well-drained soil mix and must be well watered in summer. Note it is usually covered in snow in winter which protects it from extreme cold and winter rains which may damage the plant.