Veronica alpina |
Veronica verna |
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alpine speedwell, véronique alpine |
speedwell, spring speedwell |
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Habit | Perennials. | Annuals. |
Stems | ascending, often dark bluish distally, sparsely branched at base, 5–15(–25) cm, eglandular-hairy. |
erect or ascending, (1–)3–15(–20) cm, at least distally glandular- and 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 lanceolate to ovate, (4–)6–13 × (2.5–)4–10 mm, 1.3–1.6 times as long as wide, base cuneate, proximal margins coarsely crenate-serrate, distal pinnatifid to subpalmatifid, lobes 3–7, central largest, lateral linear to lanceolate, apex of central lobe obtuse, lateral ± acute, surfaces sparsely glandular-hairy. |
Racemes | 1, terminal, 5–20 mm, to 30 mm in fruit, (1–)3–20-flowered, axis eglandular-hairy; bracts oblanceolate, 4–5 mm. |
1–3, terminal and axillary, 20–80 mm, (5–)15–40(–60)-flowered, axis eglandular- and glandular-hairy; bracts proximalmost often 3-fid, others linear-lanceolate, 3–5(–8) mm. |
Pedicels | ascending to erect, 1.5–2(–4) mm, shorter than subtending bract, eglandular-hairy. |
erect, (0.4–)1–3 mm, shorter than subtending bract, length 1/3–1/2 times calyx, eglandular- and glandular-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 (2–)3–5(–7) mm, apex acute, eglandular- and glandular-hairy; corolla sky to pale blue, 1.5–3 mm diam.; stamens 0.2–0.6 mm; style 0.2–0.6 mm, stigma white. |
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, obcordiform, 2.5–3.5 × 3.5–5 mm, apex emarginate, eglandular-hairy. |
Seeds | 9–53, brown to yellow, ellipsoid-oblong, flat, 0.7–1.2 × 0.4–1 mm, 0.1 mm thick, smooth. |
8–20(–26), yellowish, ellipsoid, flat, 0.9–1.6 × 0.6–1.3 mm, 0.2 mm thick, smooth to ± rugulose. |
2n | = 18. |
= 16 (Eurasia). |
Veronica alpina |
Veronica verna |
|
Phenology | Flowering (Jun–)Jul–Aug. | Flowering (Mar–)Apr–Jun(–Aug). |
Habitat | Slopes, moist rocks, hillocks, moist alpine and subalpine meadows. | Open pine and oak forests, rocky and sandy steppes, pastures, meadows. |
Elevation | 0–1000 m. (0–3300 ft.) | 300–2600 m. (1000–8500 ft.) |
Distribution |
NU; QC; Greenland; Eurasia |
ID; IN; MA; MI; MN; MT; NY; OR; WA; WI; WY; BC; NB; NS; ON; PE; Eurasia [Introduced in North America]
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Discussion | Specimens of Veronica verna from Alberta have not been verified. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 17, p. 309. | FNA vol. 17, p. 317. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
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) |
Web links |