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alpine speedwell, véronique alpine

common gypsyweed, common speedwell, heath speedwell, herbal speedwell, Paul's betony, véronique officinale

Habit Perennials. Perennials.
Stems

ascending, often dark bluish distally, sparsely branched at base, 5–15(–25) cm, eglandular-hairy.

creeping, decumbent to ascending distally, 10–40(–50) cm, densely eglandular-hairy, rarely glabrate or glabrous.

Leaves

blade ovate or oblong-elliptic, 7–30 × 4–20 mm, base cuneate, margins indistinctly dentate or entire, apex short-acuminate, abaxial surface glabrate, adaxial ± hairy.

blade ovate, ovate-oblong, or obovate, (8–)20–35(–50) × (3–)10–20(–30) mm, 1.5–2 times as long as wide, base attenuate to cuneate or obtuse, margins dentate, denticulate, or serrulate, apex obtuse to rounded, surfaces sparsely to densely eglandular-hairy, rarely glabrate.

Racemes

1, terminal, 5–20 mm, to 30 mm in fruit, (1–)3–20-flowered, axis eglandular-hairy;

bracts oblanceolate, 4–5 mm.

1–4(–8), axillary, 40–60 mm, 10–35(–40)-flowered, axis densely to sparsely eglandular-hairy, sometimes also glandular-hairy, rarely glabrate;

bracts linear-lanceolate or narrowly ovate, (1.5–)3–4(–5) mm.

Pedicels

ascending to erect, 1.5–2(–4) mm, shorter than subtending bract, eglandular-hairy.

erect, (0.5–)1–2(–3) mm, shorter than subtending bract, densely eglandular-hairy, rarely glandular-hairy or glabrate.

Flowers

calyx lobes 3–4 mm, ciliate, apex obtuse or acuminate, eglandular-hairy;

corolla sky blue or blue-violet, sometimes white, rotate, 2.5–5.5 mm diam.;

stamens 2–2.3 mm;

style 0.5–1.5(–2) mm.

calyx 4(or 5)-lobed, lobes 2–3.5(–4) mm, apex obtuse, glandular- and eglandular-hairy;

corolla pale blue-lilac to pale pink, rarely white with pink veins, 6–8 mm diam.;

stamens 2.8–3.4 mm;

style 2.5–3(–4) mm.

Capsules

compressed in cross section, obovoid or oblong-obovoid, 4.5–7.5 × 3.5–5.5 mm, ca. as long as wide, apex shallowly emarginate, eglandular-hairy or glabrate.

compressed in cross section, triangulate-obdeltoid to obcordiform, 3–5 × 4–5 mm, apex rounded or truncate, rarely emarginate, glandular-hairy, rarely glabrous.

Seeds

9–53, brown to yellow, ellipsoid-oblong, flat, 0.7–1.2 × 0.4–1 mm, 0.1 mm thick, smooth.

9–24, brown to yellow, ellipsoid, ovoid, or obovoid, flat, 0.8–1.6 × (0.3–)0.6–1.2 mm, 0.2–0.3 mm thick, smooth.

2n

= 18.

= 18, 36 (Europe).

Veronica alpina

Veronica officinalis

Phenology Flowering (Jun–)Jul–Aug. Flowering (Apr–)Jun–Jul(–Aug).
Habitat Slopes, moist rocks, hillocks, moist alpine and subalpine meadows. Forests, meadows, pastures, scrub, ruderal places.
Elevation 0–1000 m. (0–3300 ft.) 0–1600 m. (0–5200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
NU; QC; Greenland; Eurasia
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; CT; DC; DE; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MT; NC; ND; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; BC; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; SPM; Greenland; Eurasia [Introduced in North America; introduced in s South America (Chile)]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Veronica ×tournefortii Villars [V. officinalis var. tournefortii (Villars) Dumortier] refers to the hybrid between V. officinalis and V. allionii Villars in Europe and is not applicable to any North American plant.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 309. FNA vol. 17, p. 311.
Parent taxa Plantaginaceae > Veronica Plantaginaceae > Veronica
Sibling taxa
V. agrestis, V. americana, V. anagallis-aquatica, V. argute-serrata, V. arvensis, V. beccabunga, V. biloba, V. catenata, V. chamaedrys, V. copelandii, V. cusickii, V. cymbalaria, V. dillenii, V. filiformis, V. fruticans, V. grandiflora, V. hederifolia, V. longifolia, V. officinalis, V. peregrina, V. persica, V. polita, V. scutellata, V. serpyllifolia, V. spicata, V. stelleri, V. sublobata, V. teucrium, V. triloba, V. triphyllos, V. undulata, V. verna, V. wormskjoldii
V. agrestis, V. alpina, V. americana, V. anagallis-aquatica, V. argute-serrata, V. arvensis, V. beccabunga, V. biloba, V. catenata, V. chamaedrys, V. copelandii, V. cusickii, V. cymbalaria, V. dillenii, V. filiformis, V. fruticans, V. grandiflora, V. hederifolia, V. longifolia, V. peregrina, V. persica, V. polita, V. scutellata, V. serpyllifolia, V. spicata, V. stelleri, V. sublobata, V. teucrium, V. triloba, V. triphyllos, V. undulata, V. verna, V. wormskjoldii
Synonyms V. alpina subsp. australis, V. alpina var. australis, V. pumila
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 11. (1753) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 11. (1753)
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