Burke: Veronica anagallis-aquatica vs. Veronica persica

	Veronica anagallis-aquatica	Veronica persica
	blue water speedwell	bird-eye speedwell, Persian speedwell
Habit	Glabrous, short-lived perennial from fibrous roots, the stems usually erect, 2-10 dm. tall.	Taprooted annual, 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 or ovate, with rounded serrations, 1-2 cm. long and half to three-fourths 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 4 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 blue, the lower petal usually white, 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, with a broad notch.

	Veronica anagallis-aquatica	Veronica persica
Flowering time	June-September	March-May
Habitat	In or along slow-moving streams and ditches at low to moderate elevations.	Lawns and waste ground.
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 on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; widely introduced in much of North America. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Introduced from Europe	Introduced from Europe
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. filiformis, V. hederifolia, V. ×lackschewitzii, V. longifolia, V. missurica, V. officinalis, V. peregrina, 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, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, 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 persica

blue water speedwell

bird-eye speedwell, Persian speedwell

Habit

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

Taprooted annual, 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 or ovate, with rounded serrations, 1-2 cm. long and half to three-fourths 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 4 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 blue, the lower petal usually white, 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, with a broad notch.