Veronica henryi Yamazaki

Veronica henryi has been confused with V. cana, but they are distinct and no intermediates have been found. The relationship between V. henryi and V. riae is not completely understood, and V. henryi may be conspecific with V. riae.

Perennials, 8-25 cm tall. Stems erect, ascending, or creeping and rooting below middle, basally subglabrous, apically villous, often red-purple, branched or not. Leaves 4-6 pairs, evenly distributed to crowded apically on stem; lower petioles ca. 1 cm, upper shorter; leaf blade ovate to narrowly ovate, 2-5 X 1.2-3 cm, papery, glabrous, or puberulent, or puberulent only adaxially, base usually cuneate, margin dentate with teeth toward leaf apex, apex often acute. Racemes 1-4 pairs, axillary from upper leaves, lax, 2-7-flowered, 3-6 cm, axis and pedicels villous; peduncle 0.5-1.5 cm; bracts linear-lanceolate, shorter than pedicel, glabrous. Pedicel straight, 1-2 mm at anthesis, ca. 3 mm in fruit. Calyx 4-lobed; lobes linear-lanceolate, subequal, 3-4 mm at anthesis, elongated in fruit, glabrous. Corolla white or pale red, purple striate, rotate, ca. 1 cm in diam.; tube less than 1.5 mm; throat hairy. Stamens slightly shorter than corolla. Capsule pliciform-rhomboid, strongly compressed, 4-5 X 9-11 mm, base subtruncate or at an angle greater than 120°, margin apically sparsely ciliate with multicellular glandular hairs, emarginate. Style 2-3 mm. Seeds 2-10 per capsule, flattened, slightly convex, ca. 1.5 mm. Fl. Apr-May.

Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi (Wugong Shan), Sichuan, Yunnan.

* Shaded moist places; 500-2300 m.

Veronica cana Wallich ex Bentham subsp. henryi (T. Yamazaki) Elenevsky.