Hebe

Hebe inflorescence. Notice the 2 long stamens and style. 

Hebe is a nice decorative plant that can be seen along the roadside as part of planted hedges. It has 4 almost perpendicular rows of leaves and flowered that are arranged in long spiked that come in different colors. The flowers have long stamens and style (middle parts inside the flower). When the flowers turn to seed, the plant loses much of its attraction as these seeds look like ordinary brown seeds that look more like grains of mud actually.

Hebe leaves arranged in cross-like shape along the stem.

Hebes are related to plantains and even more so to veronicas as they belong to the same family Plantaginaceae. This plant is the largest genus in New Zealand and apparently is much loved there. Hebes apparently don't take much care and therefore make a nice plants for hedges and flowerbeds as well as an excellent lawn plant.

Hebe view from the side. Notice how the leaves alternate along the stem.