Kingdom: Plantae
(Unranked): Angiosperms
(Unranked): Eudicots
(Unranked): Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Plantaginaceae
Genus: Hebe
Species: H. ochracea
Scientific name: Hebe ochracea
Cultivar name: H. ochracea, 'James Stirling'
Common names: Hebe 'James Stirling, Ashwin Whipcord Hebe
Hebe ochracea 'James Stirling' is a slow-growing, flat-topped, compact golden-hewed olive-green evergreen shrub, up to 40 cm high. This whipcord hebe becomes bronzy-gold in winter, and is a deeper green the rest of the year. The minute, old-gold coloured foliage 0.3cm long closely covers the branches.
In late spring to early summer it has white flowers at the branch tips in small racemes 2cm long.
This hebe was named after the Superintendent of the Government Gardens in Wellington, New Zealand.
This cultivar Hebe 'James Stirling' has nothing to distinguish it from the original Hebe ochracea which are in the South Island confined to the low alpine areas of the mountains of Western Nelson at 1200-1700m.
Hebe ochracea flowering
The foliage.
