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alpine speedwell, véronique alpine

Steller's speedwell

Habit Perennials. Perennials.
Stems

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

erect to ascending, unbranched, (5–)10–20(–25) cm, eglandular-hairy.

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, 15–30 × 10–20 mm, base rounded, margins dentate or serrate, apex subacute to subobtuse, surfaces eglandular-hairy.

Racemes

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

bracts oblanceolate, 4–5 mm.

1, terminal, 10–60 mm, to 100 mm in fruit, 5–15-flowered, axis hairy;

bracts lanceolate, 2–5 mm.

Pedicels

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

erect, 2–11 mm, equal to longer than subtending bract, crisp-hairy.

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 lobes 4–5 mm, eglandular-ciliate, apex acuminate, glabrous or sparsely hairy;

corolla pale blue or violet, rotate, 8–10 mm diam.;

stamens 7 mm;

style 3–6 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, oblong, 5–6(–8) × 3–4.5 mm, longer than wide, apex ± emarginate, glabrous proximally, hairy distally.

Seeds

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

number unknown, brown, ovoid, flat, 1–1.5 × 0.7–1.2 mm, thickness and texture unknown.

2n

= 18.

= 18 (Japan, Russia).

Veronica alpina

Veronica stelleri

Phenology Flowering (Jun–)Jul–Aug. Flowering Jul–Sep.
Habitat Slopes, moist rocks, hillocks, moist alpine and subalpine meadows. Dry to moderately moist slopes, meadows in alpine regions, moraines.
Elevation 0–1000 m. (0–3300 ft.) 0–1800 m. (0–5900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
NU; QC; Greenland; Eurasia
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AK; Asia (Japan, Korea, Russia)
Discussion

Veronica stelleri may be difficult to differentiate from 4b. V. wormskjoldii subsp. nutans where sympatric.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 309. FNA vol. 17, p. 310.
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. officinalis, V. peregrina, V. persica, V. polita, V. scutellata, V. serpyllifolia, V. spicata, 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 V. stelleri var. glabrescens, V. wormskjoldii var. stelleri
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 11. (1753) Link: Jahrb. Gewächsk. 1(3): 40. (1820)
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