Burke: Veronica anagallis-aquatica vs. Veronica filiformis

	Veronica anagallis-aquatica	Veronica filiformis
	blue water speedwell	thread-stalk speedwell
Habit	Glabrous, short-lived perennial from fibrous roots, the stems usually erect, 2-10 dm. tall.	Mat-forming perennial, the stems 1-4 dm. long, lax, simple or branched below, loosely ascending, often rooting at the lower nodes.
Leaves	Leaves opposite, sessile and clasping, elliptic-ovate to elliptic-oblong, 2-10 cm. long and 0.7-5 cm. wide, sharply serrate to entire.	Principal leaves opposite, short-petiolate, the blade broadly elliptic to nearly orbicular, cordate based, with short, broad teeth, 1-2 cm. long and three-fourths or more as wide.
Flowers	Inflorescence of many-flowered racemes on long peduncles arising in the leaf axils; calyx of 4 highly variable sepals; corolla blue, rotate, 4-lobed, the upper lobe the largest, about 5 mm. wide; style 1.5-2.5 mm. long; pedicels up-curved, 3-8 mm. long; stamens 2.	Flowers single on long pedicels (up to 6 cm. in fruit) along an elongate stem, each subtended by a leaf-like, alternate bract, which are reduced upward; sepals 4, prominent, often veiny; corolla bluish-lavender, 5-11 mm. wide, rotate, 4-lobed; the upper lobe the largest; style 1.5-2.5 mm. long; stamens 2.
Fruits	Capsule swollen, 2.5-4 mm. high and wide, scarcely notched.	Capsule 5-9 mm. wide and 3-5 mm. high.

	Veronica anagallis-aquatica	Veronica filiformis
Flowering time	June-September	April-June
Habitat	In or along slow-moving streams and ditches at low to moderate elevations.	Weed of lawns and gardens
Distribution	Occurring chiefly east of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east across North America to the Atlantic Coast. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	Occurring west of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to Montana, also in eastern North America. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Introduced from Europe	Introduced from Eurasia
Conservation status	Not of concern	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	V. americana, V. argute-serrata, V. arvensis, V. catenata, V. chamaedrys, V. cusickii, V. dissecta, V. filiformis, V. hederifolia, V. ×lackschewitzii, V. longifolia, V. missurica, V. officinalis, V. peregrina, V. persica, V. polita, V. regina-nivalis, V. rubra, V. schizantha, V. scutellata, V. serpyllifolia, V. triphyllos, V. verna, V. wormskjoldii	V. americana, V. anagallis-aquatica, V. argute-serrata, V. arvensis, V. catenata, V. chamaedrys, V. cusickii, V. dissecta, V. hederifolia, V. ×lackschewitzii, V. longifolia, V. missurica, V. officinalis, V. peregrina, V. persica, V. polita, V. regina-nivalis, V. rubra, V. schizantha, V. scutellata, V. serpyllifolia, V. triphyllos, V. verna, V. wormskjoldii
Web links	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: BC, OR, WA Local Web sites: Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Veronica anagallis-aquatica

Veronica filiformis

blue water speedwell

thread-stalk speedwell

Habit

Glabrous, short-lived perennial from fibrous roots, the stems usually erect, 2-10 dm. tall.

Mat-forming perennial, the stems 1-4 dm. long, lax, simple or branched below, loosely ascending, often rooting at the lower nodes.

Leaves

Leaves opposite, sessile and clasping, elliptic-ovate to elliptic-oblong, 2-10 cm. long and 0.7-5 cm. wide, sharply serrate to entire.

Principal leaves opposite, short-petiolate, the blade broadly elliptic to nearly orbicular, cordate based, with short, broad teeth, 1-2 cm. long and three-fourths or more as wide.

Flowers

Inflorescence of many-flowered racemes on long peduncles arising in the leaf axils;

calyx of 4 highly variable sepals;

corolla blue, rotate, 4-lobed, the upper lobe the largest, about 5 mm. wide;

style 1.5-2.5 mm. long;

pedicels up-curved, 3-8 mm. long;

stamens 2.

Flowers single on long pedicels (up to 6 cm. in fruit) along an elongate stem, each subtended by a leaf-like, alternate bract, which are reduced upward;

sepals 4, prominent, often veiny;

corolla bluish-lavender, 5-11 mm. wide, rotate, 4-lobed; the upper lobe the largest;

style 1.5-2.5 mm. long;

stamens 2.

Fruits

Capsule swollen, 2.5-4 mm. high and wide, scarcely notched.

Capsule 5-9 mm. wide and 3-5 mm. high.