Veronica anagallis-aquatica |
Veronica alpina |
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blue speedwell, blue water speedwell, brook pimpernel, véronique mouron-d'eau, water pimpernel, water speedwell |
alpine speedwell, véronique alpine |
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Habit | Annuals or perennials. | Perennials. |
Stems | erect or prostrate basally, (20–)30–100(–170) cm, usually thick-fleshy, glabrous. |
ascending, often dark bluish distally, sparsely branched at base, 5–15(–25) cm, eglandular-hairy. |
Leaves | petiole 0–2(–8) mm (basal lateral branches usually distinctly petiolate to 8 mm) proximally, 0 mm distally; blade (of proximal leaves) ovate, elliptic, or oblong, (15–)30–80(–145) × (7–)10–30(–45) mm, 1.5–3 times as long as wide, base obtuse proximally to cordate-amplexicaul in middle and ± cuneate distally, margins ± serrulate or denticulate, apex acute, surfaces glabrous, rarely glandular-hairy. |
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. |
Racemes | 6–25, axillary, 50–100(–150) mm, 5–10 mm diam., (20–)30–40(–60)-flowered, axis glabrous, rarely glandular-hairy; bracts linear to lanceolate, 2–5 mm, apex acute. |
1, terminal, 5–20 mm, to 30 mm in fruit, (1–)3–20-flowered, axis eglandular-hairy; bracts oblanceolate, 4–5 mm. |
Pedicels | suberect or arcuate-erect to subpatent, curved upwards in fruit, 3–7(–10) mm, longer than subtending bracts, glabrous or hairy. |
ascending to erect, 1.5–2(–4) mm, shorter than subtending bract, eglandular-hairy. |
Flowers | calyx lobes 2–3 mm, apex acute, glabrous, rarely hairy; corolla lavender to pale blue, rarely pale lilac, (4–)6–8 mm diam.; stamens 3–3.5 mm; style 1.5–2.5 mm. |
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. |
Capsules | slightly compressed in cross section, globular, (2.5–)3–3.5(–4) × 2.5–3.2(–4) mm, apex rounded or ± emarginate, glabrous or sparsely short glandular-hairy. |
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. |
Seeds | 40–77, yellow-brown, ellipsoid to subglobular, planoconvex, (0.3–)0.5–0.7 × 0.3–0.5 mm, 0.2–0.3 mm thick, smooth. |
9–53, brown to yellow, ellipsoid-oblong, flat, 0.7–1.2 × 0.4–1 mm, 0.1 mm thick, smooth. |
2n | = 36. |
= 18. |
Veronica anagallis-aquatica |
Veronica alpina |
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Phenology | Flowering Mar–Sep(–Nov). | Flowering (Jun–)Jul–Aug. |
Habitat | Stream margins, ditches, banks, springs, swamps, wet meadows. | Slopes, moist rocks, hillocks, moist alpine and subalpine meadows. |
Elevation | 0–4000 m. (0–13100 ft.) | 0–1000 m. (0–3300 ft.) |
Distribution |
AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; ME; MI; MO; MT; NC; ND; NE; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; ON; Eurasia; Africa; Atlantic Islands [Introduced in North America; likely introduced also in Mexico, Central America, South America]
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NU; QC; Greenland; Eurasia |
Discussion | Veronica anagallis-aquatica is widespread. It is not clear whether it is native to the flora area; it is certainly introduced in some states and commonly dispersed by human activity. The species varies with water availability. It is frequently confused with V. catenata. Ecological differences (see discussion under 15. V. catenata) may suggest that V. anagallis-aquatica does not occur in most parts of Canada and Alaska from which the species is reported but is present in some states excluded from the distribution area due to the lack of herbarium specimens seen (for example, Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Vermont). Hybrids are frequent in Europe (V. ×lackschewitzkii J. Keller) and have been reported for California and Nebraska (L. R. Heckard and P. Rubtzoff 1977). The sterile hybrids never form capsules and bear relatively long inflorescences. Another closely related species, V. anagalloides Gussone (= V. salina Schur), is not present in North America. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 17, p. 313. | FNA vol. 17, p. 309. |
Parent taxa | Plantaginaceae > Veronica | Plantaginaceae > Veronica |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | V. anagallis-aquatica var. terrea, V. brittonii, V. comosa, V. glandifera, V. micromera | V. alpina subsp. australis, V. alpina var. australis, V. pumila |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 12. (1753) — (as anagall. s) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 11. (1753) |
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