Kingdom: Plantae
(Unranked): Angiosperms
(Unranked): Eudicots
(Unranked): Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Plantaginaceae
Genus: Hebe
Species: Hebe speciosa 'Alicia Amherst'
Synonym: Hebe 'Veitchii'
Common Name: Hebe 'Alicia Amherst'
Hebe speciosa 'Alicia Amherst’ is a deep purple-flowered cultivar of a New Zealand evergreen shrub found in coastal parts of the North Island and the far north of the South Island. It grows to a height of 1.2m and 1.2m in width and has broad glossy dark green leaves (11.5 cm long). This older cultivar is named after Alicia Amherst (1865-1941) and author and collector of plants and the wife of Sir Evelyn Cecil (Baron Rockley).
It produces flowers that are dark violet-purple from auxiliary spikes (9.0 cm long) from summer/autumn.
It is not severe frost tolerant.
