Kingdom: Plantae
(Unranked): Angiosperms
(Unranked): Eudicots
(Unranked): Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Plantaginaceae
Genus: Hebe
Species: H. tetragona
Binomial name: Hebe tetragona
Synonym: Veronica tetragona, Leonohebe tetragona
Hebe tetragona is a whipcord which can reach 100 cm. It is an upright evergreen hebe with triangular to awl-shaped, tiny, yellow-green leaves which completely enclose the stem. The branches are distinctly four-sided, hence its name. Its habitat is subalpine areas of the mountains of the North Island (Raukumara, Kaimanawa and northern Ruahine Range, and volcanoes of the Central Volcanic Plateau).
Small to medium white flowers bloom on 3cm spikes in early summer.
Photographed on the Tongariro Alpine Crossing January at an elevation of 1799 m
Photographed at Otari Wilton Bush, Wellington
A young plant.
