Burke: Veronica serpyllifolia vs. Veronica cusickii

	Veronica serpyllifolia	Veronica cusickii
	thyme-leaved speedwell	Cusick's speedwell
Habit	Perennial from branching, creeping rhizomes, the stems 1-3 dm. long, finely puberulent, often producing prostrate, lower branches, otherwise simple.	Perennial from shallow rhizomes, the stem simple, erect or curved at the base, 0.6-2 dm. tall, thinly puberulent.
Leaves	Leaves opposite, elliptic to broadly ovate, 1-2.5 cm. long and 0.5-1 cm. wide, glabrous, entire or slightly toothed, the lower often short-petiolate, the others sessile.	Leaves opposite, elliptic to ovate or obovate, 1-2.5 mm. long and 5-14 mm. wide, glabrous, entire.
Flowers	Flowers on short pedicels in a loose, elongate, terminal raceme, the upper subtending bracts alternate; sepals 4; corolla bright blue to white, 4-8 mm. wide, rotate, 4-lobed, the upper lobe the largest; style 2-3.5 mm. long; stamens 2.	Inflorescence a terminal, bracteate raceme, the flowers pedicellate, at least the upper bracts alternate; sepals 4, unequal; corolla deep blue-violet, rotate, 8-13 mm. wide, 4-lobed, the upper lobe the largest; style exerted, 6-10 mm. long; stamens 2, filaments 4-8 mm. long.
Fruits	Capsule 3-4 mm. high, broader than high, notched, finely glandular-pubescent,	Capsule glandular-pubescent, somewhat notched, 4-6 mm. high, higher than wide.

	Veronica serpyllifolia	Veronica cusickii
Flowering time	May-August	July-September
Habitat	Moist meadows and shores, from the lowlands to the subalpine.	Open, moist, rocky slopes from subalpine to alpine.
Distribution	Widely distributed on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east across most of North America to the Atlantic Coast. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]	Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia south to California, east to Idaho and Montana. [WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Origin	Both native and introduced	Native
Conservation status	Not of concern	Not of concern
Sibling taxa	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. persica, V. polita, V. regina-nivalis, V. rubra, V. schizantha, V. scutellata, V. triphyllos, V. verna, V. wormskjoldii	V. americana, V. anagallis-aquatica, V. argute-serrata, V. arvensis, V. catenata, V. chamaedrys, 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
Subordinate taxa	V. serpyllifolia var. humifusa, V. serpyllifolia var. serpyllifolia
Web links	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	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

Veronica serpyllifolia

Veronica cusickii

thyme-leaved speedwell

Cusick's speedwell

Habit

Perennial from branching, creeping rhizomes, the stems 1-3 dm. long, finely puberulent, often producing prostrate, lower branches, otherwise simple.

Perennial from shallow rhizomes, the stem simple, erect or curved at the base, 0.6-2 dm. tall, thinly puberulent.

Leaves

Leaves opposite, elliptic to broadly ovate, 1-2.5 cm. long and 0.5-1 cm. wide, glabrous, entire or slightly toothed, the lower often short-petiolate, the others sessile.

Leaves opposite, elliptic to ovate or obovate, 1-2.5 mm. long and 5-14 mm. wide, glabrous, entire.

Flowers

Flowers on short pedicels in a loose, elongate, terminal raceme, the upper subtending bracts alternate;

sepals 4;

corolla bright blue to white, 4-8 mm. wide, rotate, 4-lobed, the upper lobe the largest;

style 2-3.5 mm. long;

stamens 2.

Inflorescence a terminal, bracteate raceme, the flowers pedicellate, at least the upper bracts alternate;

sepals 4, unequal;

corolla deep blue-violet, rotate, 8-13 mm. wide, 4-lobed, the upper lobe the largest;

style exerted, 6-10 mm. long;

stamens 2, filaments 4-8 mm. long.