The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

neckweed, purslane speedwell, véronique voyageuse

Cusick's speedwell

Habit Annuals. Perennials.
Stems

erect or ascending, (2.5–)4–25(–35) cm, glabrous or densely glandular-hairy.

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

Leaves

blade oblanceolate proximally, narrowly oblong distally, 5–28(–35) × 2–6(–10) mm, 3–10 times as long as wide, base cuneate, margins entire or dentate distally, apex acute, surfaces glabrous or densely 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, terminal, sometimes 1 or 2 axillary, 20–200 mm, (2–)5–40-flowered, axis glabrous or densely glandular-hairy;

bracts spatulate to linear-lanceolate, 3–22 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, 0.2–1(–2) mm, much shorter than subtending bract, glabrous or densely glandular-hairy.

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

Flowers

calyx lobes (2–)3–6 mm, 0.9–2 mm wide, apex obtuse to acute, glabrous or densely glandular-hairy;

corolla white or pale pink, 2–5 mm diam.;

stamens 1 mm;

style 0.1–0.5 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

strongly compressed in cross section, obcordiform, 2.5–5 × 2.5–6 mm, apex ± emarginate, 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

12–140, yellow or pale brown, oblong, flat, 0.6–1.6 × 0.4–0.9 mm, 0.1–0.2 mm thick, smooth.

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

2n

= 52.

= 18, 72.

Veronica peregrina

Veronica cusickii

Phenology Flowering (Feb–)Mar–Jun(–Nov). Flowering Jun–Aug.
Habitat Moist waste lands, gardens, roadsides, stream banks, pond shorelines, vernal pools, other cultivated land. Gravelly soils, openings in coniferous forests and in subalpine and alpine meadows.
Elevation 0–700(–3000) m. (0–2300(–9800) 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; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; Central America; South America; Mexico (Baja California, Baja California Sur, Chihuahua, México, Sonora); Eurasia; Australia
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; ID; MT; OR; WA; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Stem indument of Veronica peregrina has been used to distinguish var. xalapensis with a glandular-hairy stem (F. W. Pennell 1935), a variety that seems to be confined to drier places than the type variety. Variety laurentiana is also differentiated from var. peregrina in having a glandular-hairy stem, fleshier leaves, shorter stamens, smaller corollas, and slightly differently shaped capsules (Frère Marie-Victorin and J. Rousseau 1940).

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

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. 314. 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. 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. 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. peregrina var. laurentiana, V. peregrina subsp. xalapensis, V. peregrina var. xalapensis, V. sherwoodii, V. xalapensis V. allenii
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 14. (1753) A. Gray: in A. Gray et al., Syn. Fl. N. Amer. 2(1): 288. (1878)
Web links