Barker's Koromiko — Bad at Goodbyes

Barker's Koromiko :: Veronica barkeri

Bad at Goodbyes :: Episode 084

On today’s show we learn about the Barker's Koromiko, a critically endangered flowering shrub native to Aotearoa Rēkohu / New Zealand's Chatham Islands, an archipelago roughly 400 miles east of Te Waipounamu / New Zealand's South Island. Its scientific name is Veronica barkeri and it was first described in 1899.

For more information about conservation on Rēkohu / Chatham Islands see the Chatham Islands Landscape Restoration Trust at https://www.chathamrestorationtrust.org.nz/ .

(00:05) Intro
(02:05) Species Information
(18:37) Citations
(20:29) Music
(26:27) Pledge

Research for today’s show was compiled from:

Baeckens, S., & Van Damme, R. (2020). The island syndrome. Current Biology, 30(8), R338–R339. – https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2020.03.029
Breitwieser I., Heenan P.J.; Nelson W.A., Wilton A.D. eds. (2010-2026). Flora of New Zealand Online – Taxon Profile - Veronica barkeri. – https://www.nzflora.info/factsheet/taxon/Veronica-barkeri.html
Chatham Island Temperate Forests. Ecoregion Snapshots: Descriptive Abstracts of the Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World, 2021. Developed by One Earth and RESOLVE. – https://www.oneearth.org/ecoregions/chatham-island-temperate-forests/
de Lange, P. 2025. Veronica barkeri. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025: e.T30493A62620653. – https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS.T30493A62620653.en
de Lange, P.J. (2026): Veronica barkeri Fact Sheet (content continuously updated). New Zealand Plant Conservation Network. – https://www.nzpcn.org.nz/flora/species/veronica-barkeri/
iNaturalist – Chatham Islands
Kavanagh, P.H. (2015), Moa Herbivory and Divaricate Plants. Austral Ecology, 40: 206-211. – https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.12196
Mulligan, J. (Host), & Toki, N. (Presenter). (2019, May 17). Critter of the week: Chatham Island tree hebe [Audio radio broadcast]. Radio New Zealand. – https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/2018695557/critter-of-the-week-chatham-island-tree-hebe
New Zealand Department of Conservation. (n.d.). Chatham Islands plants. – https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-plants/chatham-islands-plants/
Urlich, S. C., & Brown, K. P. (2005). Monitoring the effects of animal pests on Chatham Islands vegetation: A plan for 2004–2013. New Zealand Department of Conservation. – https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309718759_Monitoring_the_effects_of_animal_pests_on_Chatham_Island_vegetation
Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_barkeri

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A note on accuracy: I strive for it! These episodes are well-researched and built from scholarly sources, hoping to provide an informed and accurate portrait of these species. That said, I’m a musician! I am not an academic and have limited scientific background. I may get things wrong! If you are using this podcast for scholarship of any kind, please see the cited sources and double-check all information.