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Veronica stricta
Koromiko (Veronica stricta, also called Hebe stricta) is a hardy New Zealand native shrub with long pale green leaves and dense spikes of tiny white summer flowers. It grows best in full sun and open edge-of-bush or wetland sites, and is useful as a pioneer nurse plant for revegetation.
Veronica stricta, synonym Hebe stricta, commonly called koromiko, is a flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae, which is endemic to New Zealand.
Koromiko is a hebe found throughout the Mainland New Zealand, with long pale green leaves and tiny white flowers in summer formed into a dense inflorescence longer than the leaves. It is a hardy plant and does not tolerate shade. It prefers full sun and open habitats on edge of bush and wetlands as it tolerates wet areas.
Koromiko is a commonly used plant in traditional Māori rongoā medicine, by chewing or boiling leaf buds, or applied in balms. A sticky substance that is extruded from young leaf buds was traditionally mixed with blue pollen of Fuchsia excorticata for a form of make-up. During the early European colonial era, koromiko leaves or extract was sold under names such as Monk's Herbal Extract as an antidiarrheal remedy.
Veronica sect. Hebe · Veronica Recurva · American speedwell · Water speedwell · Corn speedwell · Broadleaf speedwell · European speedwell · Fiordland Parahebe · Pink Water-speedwell · Ash Coloured Speedwell · Dillenius' speedwell · Silver Speedwell
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Veronica stricta by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
