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chain speedwell, pink water speedwell, sessile water-speedwell, water speedwell

alpine speedwell, véronique alpine

Habit Annuals or perennials. Perennials.
Stems

erect or ascending, 15–60(–80) cm, glabrous or glandular-hairy distally.

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

Leaves

petiole 0 mm;

blade oblong-ovate to oblong-lanceolate, (5–)25–50(–100) × 4–15(–30) mm, 2.5–5 times as long as wide, base amplexical-truncate or amplexical-subcordate, margins entire or subentire, apex acute, surfaces glabrous.

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

10–25, axillary, 100–160 mm, 15–25-flowered, axis glabrous or glandular-hispid;

pedicels less than 3 per cm, glabrous or scarcely to densely short glandular-hairy, rarely completely glabrous;

bracts oblong, 3–5 mm, apex obtuse.

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

bracts oblanceolate, 4–5 mm.

Pedicels

patent, (3–)5–10 mm, equal to or ± shorter than subtending bract, glabrous or glandular-hairy.

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

Flowers

calyx lobes 2.5–3 mm, apex obtuse, glabrous or glandular-hairy;

corolla white to pale pink with darker veins not reaching margins, 4–5 mm diam.;

stamens 5 mm;

style (1.3–)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

± compressed in cross section, subglobular, 2.5–3(–3.5) × 3–4 mm, apex emarginate, sinus 0.1–0.3 mm, glabrous or 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

26–123, yellow-brown, ellipsoid to subglobular, planoconvex, 0.4–0.7 × 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 catenata

Veronica alpina

Phenology Flowering Jun–Oct. Flowering (Jun–)Jul–Aug.
Habitat Wet places, rarely running water, lakeshores, ditches, muddy places, stream channels. Slopes, moist rocks, hillocks, moist alpine and subalpine meadows.
Elevation 0–2500 m. (0–8200 ft.) 0–1000 m. (0–3300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; MA; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; ND; NE; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; SD; TN; TX; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; ON; QC; SK; Europe
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
NU; QC; Greenland; Eurasia
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Veronica catenata seems to be a relative of V. anagallis-aquatica that is more cold-adapted, as seen in Europe (R. Götte 2007), and native to the flora area. Although no specimens were seen it may be found in Alaska, Connecticut, and Kentucky.

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

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 314. FNA vol. 17, p. 309.
Parent taxa Plantaginaceae > Veronica Plantaginaceae > Veronica
Sibling taxa
V. agrestis, V. alpina, V. americana, V. anagallis-aquatica, V. argute-serrata, V. arvensis, V. beccabunga, V. biloba, 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. 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
Synonyms V. catenata var. glandulosa, V. connata subsp. glaberrima V. alpina subsp. australis, V. alpina var. australis, V. pumila
Name authority Pennell: Rhodora 23: 37. (1921) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 11. (1753)
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