Hebe cupressoides is a large, upright or rounded, whipcord, evergreen shrub, which grows up to 6.5 ft (2 m) high. The leaves are grey-green, about 0.6 in (1.5 mm) long, which closely clasp the stem. In June and July it carries clusters of lilac flowers at the branch tips. The greyer, upright form has foliage with a cedar-like scent. A hardy hebe in the UK.
This hebe is mostly found in the Mackenzie Basin and the Shotover River Valley. It was found on river-flats and terraces on the eastern side of the Southern Alps, South Island, New Zealand.