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= Veronica ciliolata =

Veronica ciliolata is an alpine cushion plant occurring in Australia and New Zealand.

This species is common in New Zealand and has probably migrated from New Zealand to Australia some time in the last few million years. However, the subspecies in Australia (Veronica ciliolata subsp. fiordensis ) is rare (Threatened) and restricted to the Hamilton Crags on the Ben Lomond Plateau in Tasmania, between 1470 to 1530m asl with a linear range of only about 800m.

V. ciliolata can be distinguished from other Tasmanian cushion plants by features present throughout the year, though surveys may be difficult in extreme alpine weather conditions or with snow.

Habit
Veronica ciliolata forms a compact round cushion up to 4cm high and 1m wide.

Leaves
Leaves are pale green and formed in densely compacted basal rosettes. They are ciliate (hairy) generally close to their base, though often few and appressed near the tip except for a prominent apical tuft. They are stiffly imbricate, 2.5 to 4 mm long and 1.5 to 2 mm wide. Narrow-ovate to ovate-spathulate shape and subacute to acute apex.

Flowers
Small white solitary flowers. The calyx is 3–4 mm long, divided two-thirds of the way into 5 to 6 linear lobes. The lobes are hairy for most of their length on their outer surface as well as the margins. The corolla is 6–7 mm long and white, with obtuse lobes.

Fruit
Fruit forming a capsule. The capsule is roughly 2 mm by 2 mm, and glabrous or hairy at apex.

Distribution and Habitat
Veronica ciliolata occurs in New Zealand and Australia.

In Australia, Veronica ciliolata subsp. Fiordensis is restricted to the Hamilton Crags on the Ben Lomond Plateau in Tasmania, between 1470 to 1530 m. Unlike other Tasmanian cushion plants, V. ciliolata prefers well-drained sites, occurring on skeletal soils derived from Jurassic dolerite, between boulders or in rock crevices where no obvious soil exists.

Ecology
Flowering occurs from December to February. V. coliolata is an obligate out-crosser with dioecious flowers, and pollination via insects.

Species often occuring with V. coliolata include Poa costiniana, Deyeuxia monticola, Chionogentias sp., Ewartia catipes and Oreomyrrhis sp. . Plants observed growing within V. coliolata cushions include the Ericaceous Gaultheria depressa and Lycopodium fastigiatum.

Conservation Status
In 2008 ''Veronica ciliolata subsp. Fiordensis'' was listed as Vulnerable under the Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 & Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

The New Zealand population of Veronica ciliolata is listed as Not Threatened using the New Zealand Threat Classification System (NZTCS) in the Conservation status of New Zealand indigenous vascular plants, 2017.

Threats
The New Zealand population of Veronica ciliolata Not Threatened.

However there are current threats for the Australian population (Veronica ciliolata subsp. Fiordensis), with numbers estimated to be between 1500–2000 mature individuals.

These threats include:

Development


 * Veronica ciliolata subsp. Fiordensis grows on a rocky ridge 200–300 m east of a designated 'skifield development area zone' in Ben Lomond National Park . Although the National Park prioritises ecological conservation, it is also the primary location of downhill skiing in Tasmania . The greatest threat would be expansion of the recreational area or other inappropriate development of the Ben Lomond plateau.

Climate change


 * The warming climate may cause contraction of alpine habitats, which would further reduce population size.

Stochastic events


 * As V. ciliolata subsp. Fiordensis has a very limited range, stochastic events such as fire, drought and pathogens, make this species vulnerable.

Etymology
Etymology of Veronica ciliolata:

Veronica: Named after Saint Veronica, who gave Jesus her veil to wipe his brow as he carried the cross through Jerusalem, perhaps because the common name of this plant is ‘speedwell’. The name Veronica is often believed to derive from the Latin vera ‘truth’ and iconica ‘image’, but it is actually derived from the Macedonian name Berenice which means ‘bearer of victory’.

Ciliolata: With little cilia (hairs).

Uses
Not widely cultivated. Though if grown, best in a well draining pot or in moist, gravelly and cool conditions.

Taxonomy
Veronica ciliolata was first formally described in 1864 by English botanist, Joseph Dalton Hooker in the Handbook of the New Zealand Flora. V. ciliolata is a member of the Plantaginaceae family.

Scientific Name: Veronica ciliolata (Hook.f.) Cheeseman, ''Man. New Zealand Fl.'' 540 (1906)

Synonymy:


 * ≡ Pygmea ciliolata Hook.f., Handb. New Zealand Fl. 2 (1864)
 * ≡ Chionohebe ciliolata (Hook.f.) B.G.Briggs & Ehrend., Contr. Herb. Austral. 25 (1976)


 * = Veronica ciliolata (Hook.f.) Garn.-Jones, Taxon 56: 576 (2007) nom. illeg.

Scientific Name:'Veronica ciliolata'' subsp. fiordensis' (Ashwin) Meudt, Austral. Syst. Bot.'' 21: 413 (2008)

Synonymy:


 * ≡ Pygmea ciliolata var. fiordensis Ashwin in Allan, Fl. New Zealand 1, 874, 975 (1961)
 * ≡ Veronica ciliolata var. fiordensis (Ashwin) Garn.-Jones in Garnock-Jones et al., Taxon 56: 577 (2007)
 * ≡ Chionohebe ciliolata subsp. fiordensis (Ashwin) de Lange & A.Mark in Mark & de Lange, Above Treeline: Nature Guide Alpine N. Zeal., 280, 450 (2012)