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corn speedwell, speedwell, véronique des champs, wall speedwell

Cusick's speedwell

Habit Annuals. Perennials.
Stems

erect to ascending, 1–30(–40) cm, glandular- or eglandular-hairy.

erect, unbranched or sparsely branched at base, (5–)10–15(–30) cm, finely glandular-hairy.

Leaves

in 3–6 pairs per stem;

blade oblong to broadly ovate, (2–)5–14(–35) × (2–)3–10(–18) mm, 2.5 times as long as wide, base truncate, margins crenate-serrate, apex obtuse to rounded, surfaces sparsely eglandular-hairy, rarely also glandular-hairy.

blade elliptic-ovate, (5–)10–25 × 5–10 mm, base cuneate, margins entire or subentire, apex short-acuminate, surfaces glabrous or glabrate.

Racemes

1(–3), terminal, 20–150 mm, (5–)15–40(–60)-flowered, axis densely eglandular- and glandular-hairy;

bracts linear-oblong, (3.5–)4–6(–10) mm.

1, terminal, (15–)40–80(–130) mm, (4–)8–30(–40)-flowered, axis finely glandular-hairy;

bracts lanceolate, 3–7(–11) mm.

Pedicels

erect, 0–4 mm, shorter than subtending bract, densely eglandular- and glandular-hairy.

erect, 3–9 mm, equal to or ± longer than subtending bract, finely glandular-hairy.

Flowers

calyx lobes (2–)3.5–5(–6) mm, 0.8–2 mm wide, apex acute, glandular-hairy;

corolla sky blue to intense blue, 2–4 mm diam.;

stamens 0.3–0.5 mm;

style (0.2–)0.4–0.6(–1) mm.

calyx lobes 2–3 mm, apex acute to obtuse, finely glandular-hairy;

corolla deep blue-violet, rarely white, rotate, (8–)10–13 mm diam.;

stamens 4–8 mm;

style (5–)6–9(–10) mm, conspicuously exerted.

Capsules

compressed in cross section, obcordiform, 2–4 × 2.5–5 mm, apex markedly emarginate, glandular-ciliate, otherwise glabrous.

compressed in cross section, oblong-obovoid, 4–6 × 3.5–5.5 mm, ca. as long as wide, apex emarginate, finely glandular-hairy.

Seeds

10–30, yellowish, ovoid, flat, 0.7–1.7 × 0.4–1 mm, 0.2–0.4 mm thick, rugose.

28–32, straw colored or dark brown, ovoid, flat, 0.6 × 0.4 mm, 0.1 mm thick, rough.

2n

= 16.

= 18, 72.

Veronica arvensis

Veronica cusickii

Phenology Flowering (Feb–)Mar–Jun(–Oct). Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Disturbed sites, lawns, fields, open forests, scrub, grasslands, rocky sites, coasts. Gravelly soils, openings in coniferous forests and in subalpine and alpine meadows.
Elevation 0–2900 m. (0–9500 ft.) 1500–3200 m. (4900–10500 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; BC; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; YT; Atlantic Islands; Pacific Islands; Greenland; Africa; Eurasia; Australia [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Mexico, Central America]
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[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; ID; MT; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Veronica cusickii is sister to V. copelandii and closely related to V. wormskjoldii subsp. nutans (D. C. Albach et al. 2006).

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 317. FNA vol. 17, p. 310.
Parent taxa Plantaginaceae > Veronica Plantaginaceae > Veronica
Sibling taxa
V. agrestis, V. alpina, V. americana, V. anagallis-aquatica, V. argute-serrata, 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. 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
Synonyms V. allenii
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 13. (1753) A. Gray: in A. Gray et al., Syn. Fl. N. Amer. 2(1): 288. (1878)
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