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Cusick's speedwell

corn speedwell, speedwell, véronique des champs, wall speedwell

Habit Perennials. Annuals.
Stems

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

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

Leaves

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

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.

Racemes

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

bracts lanceolate, 3–7(–11) mm.

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.

Pedicels

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

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

Flowers

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.

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.

Capsules

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

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

Seeds

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

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

2n

= 18, 72.

= 16.

Veronica cusickii

Veronica arvensis

Phenology Flowering Jun–Aug. Flowering (Feb–)Mar–Jun(–Oct).
Habitat Gravelly soils, openings in coniferous forests and in subalpine and alpine meadows. Disturbed sites, lawns, fields, open forests, scrub, grasslands, rocky sites, coasts.
Elevation 1500–3200 m. (4900–10500 ft.) 0–2900 m. (0–9500 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; MT; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
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]
[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. 310. FNA vol. 17, p. 317.
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. 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
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
Synonyms V. allenii
Name authority A. Gray: in A. Gray et al., Syn. Fl. N. Amer. 2(1): 288. (1878) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 13. (1753)
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