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Tuatara: Volume 12, Issue 1, March 1964

With 79 species Hebe is the largest genus of vascular plants in New Zealand. A number of the species are valued in many parts of the world as cultivated ornamentals both for their symmetry of form and, in some cases, for the attractive colours of their flowers. The species illustrated are:— — Above: Hebe townsonii. (About half natural size.) Found on Mt. Messenger, Taranaki and near Westport. One of the many lowland species with willow-like leaves, distinguished however from all other species o…

With 79 species Hebe is the largest genus of vascular plants in New Zealand. A number of the species are valued in many parts of the world as cultivated ornamentals both for their symmetry of form and, in some cases, for the attractive colours of their flowers. The species illustrated are:— Above: Hebe townsonii. (About half natural size.) Found on Mt. Messenger, Taranaki and near Westport. One of the many lowland species with willow-like leaves, distinguished however from all other species of Hebe by the double row of pits or domatia on each leaf. These are visible in the upper leaves of the specimen illustrated. Such pits occur in a number of genera, particularly in warmer parts of the world, but their function is still obscure. In New Zealand species of Coprosma, Vitex, Elaeocarpus and Nothofagus also have leaf pits. Photo: M. D. King. Overleaf: Hebe epacridea. (About twice natural size.) Found above 3.000 feet from Marlborough to Otago. A much more compact species than H. townsonii and about intermediate in form between that species and the ‘whipcord’ species. The whipcord Hebes have very reduced leaves and closely resemble scale-leaved conifers. Photo: M. D. King.

With 79 species Hebe is the largest genus of vascular plants in New Zealand. A number of the species are valued in many parts of the world as cultivated ornamentals both for their symmetry of form and, in some cases, for the attractive colours of their flowers. The species illustrated are:—
Above: Hebe townsonii. (About half natural size.) Found on Mt. Messenger, Taranaki and near Westport. One of the many lowland species with willow-like leaves, distinguished however from all other species of Hebe by the double row of pits or domatia on each leaf. These are visible in the upper leaves of the specimen illustrated. Such pits occur in a number of genera, particularly in warmer parts of the world, but their function is still obscure. In New Zealand species of Coprosma, Vitex, Elaeocarpus and Nothofagus also have leaf pits. Photo: M. D. King.
Overleaf: Hebe epacridea. (About twice natural size.) Found above 3.000 feet from Marlborough to Otago. A much more compact species than H. townsonii and about intermediate in form between that species and the ‘whipcord’ species. The whipcord Hebes have very reduced leaves and closely resemble scale-leaved conifers. Photo: M. D. King.