Veronica salicifolia

Native to New Zealand and Chile, this evergreen shrub grows about 8 feet tall, with narrow, pointed, leathery leaves arranged in opposite pairs. Long flower spikes carry numerous small white to pale mauve blossoms with projecting stamens. It grows in open habitats and forest, from lowlands toward the treeline. Its tiny seeds are dispersed by wind, and it can hybridize with other hebes growing nearby. It has naturalized in western Europe. Photographed in Peru.