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alpine speedwell, véronique alpine

finger speedwell, fingered speedwell

Habit Perennials. Annuals, sometimes biennials.
Stems

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

erect or ascending, often blue tinged, (3–)5–15(–20) cm, densely 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: proximal ovate to triangular, 5–7 × 3–6 mm, distal 8–18 × 8–18 mm, base rounded, margins (proximal) coarsely crenate or (distal) 3–5(–7)-palmatifid, apex obtuse, surfaces sparsely hairy, often glandular.

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, sometimes also 1 or 2 axillary, 30–120(–150) mm, 6–15(–25)-flowered, axis densely eglandular- and glandular-hairy;

proximal bracts 5-palmatifid, distal 3-fid, 4–18 mm.

Pedicels

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

patent or arcuate-ascending, 4–11(–20) mm, ± equal to subtending bract, length 1–2 times calyx, densely 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 4–6(–11) mm, apex obtuse, glandular-hairy;

corolla deep blue, 5–10 mm diam.;

stamens 0.9–1.7 mm;

style (0.5–)0.7–1.5(–2) 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.

± inflated basally, compressed distally in cross section, obcordiform, 4–5(–10) × 4.5–6.5(–8) mm, apex emarginate, glandular-hairy.

Seeds

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

14–22(–35), dark brown or blackish, subglobular, cymbiform, 1–2.2 × 0.7–2 mm, 0.4–0.9 mm thick, ± rugulose to cristate.

2n

= 18.

= 14 (Eurasia).

Veronica alpina

Veronica triphyllos

Phenology Flowering (Jun–)Jul–Aug. Flowering (Feb–)Mar–May(–Jul).
Habitat Slopes, moist rocks, hillocks, moist alpine and subalpine meadows. Pine forests, stony pastures, rocky banks, sandy fields, gardens, roadsides, rarely calcareous soils.
Elevation 0–1000 m. (0–3300 ft.) 100–1000 m. (300–3300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
NU; QC; Greenland; Eurasia
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; ID; KS; MO; OK; OR; WA; Eurasia [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 17, p. 309. FNA vol. 17, p. 315.
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. stelleri, V. sublobata, V. teucrium, V. triloba, 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: 14. (1753)
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