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bird's-eye speedwell, bird-eye speedwell, large field or bird's-eye speedwell, Persian speedwell, véronique de perse

blue speedwell, blue water speedwell, brook pimpernel, véronique mouron-d'eau, water pimpernel, water speedwell

Habit Annuals. Annuals or perennials.
Stems

creeping to decumbent, 10–50(–60) cm, eglandular-hairy.

erect or prostrate basally, (20–)30–100(–170) cm, usually thick-fleshy, glabrous.

Leaves

blade suborbiculate, broadly ovate, or broadly lanceolate, (6–)9–18(–30) × (5–)8–15(–20) mm, base truncate, margins serrate, apex acute, surfaces sparsely eglandular-hairy.

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.

Racemes

1–6, terminal, 100–500(–600) mm, 5–30-flowered, axis eglandular-hairy;

bracts suborbiculate or broadly ovate or broadly lanceolate, (6–)9–18(–25) mm.

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.

Pedicels

spreading, deflexed in fruit, (12–)15–27(–38) mm, length 1–2(–3) times subtending bract, densely eglandular-hairy.

suberect or arcuate-erect to subpatent, curved upwards in fruit, 3–7(–10) mm, longer than subtending bracts, glabrous or hairy.

Flowers

calyx lobes (4.5–)5.5–8(–9.5) mm, (1.7–)2.4–3.6(–4.2) mm wide, apex acuminate, eglandular-hairy;

corolla intense bright blue, 8–14 mm diam.;

stamens 1.2 mm;

style (1.5–)2–2.8(–3.2) mm.

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.

Capsules

compressed in cross section, broadly obcordiform, 4–6 × (5–)6–8.5(–9.5) mm, apex acute, sinus angle (80–)90–120(–150)°, reticulate with prominent veins, ± sparsely to densely eglandular- and/or glandular-hairy or glabrate.

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.

Seeds

(10–)12–18(–20), pale brownish yellow, ellipsoid to globular, cymbiform, (1.3–)1.4–2.3(–2.5) × (0.8–)0.9–1.6(–1.9) mm, 0.5–1 mm thick, cristate-rugose.

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.

2n

= 28.

= 36.

Veronica persica

Veronica anagallis-aquatica

Phenology Flowering (Jan–)Apr–Jul(–Dec). Flowering Mar–Sep(–Nov).
Habitat Roadsides, lawns, fields, waste places. Stream margins, ditches, banks, springs, swamps, wet meadows.
Elevation 0–500(–2000) m. (0–1600(–6600) ft.) 0–4000 m. (0–13100 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; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; sw Asia [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Mexico (Michoacán, Veracruz), Central America, South America, Eurasia, e Asia, Africa, Atlantic Islands, Pacific Islands, Australia]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
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]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

The names Veronica buxbaumii Tenore and V. tournefortii C. C. Gmelin (not V. ×tournefortii Villars) have been used for V. persica.

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

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.)

Source FNA vol. 17, p. 319. FNA vol. 17, p. 313.
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. peregrina, 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. 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. persica var. aschersoniana, V. persica var. corrensiana, V. tournefortii subsp. aschersoniana, V. tournefortii subsp. corrensiana V. anagallis-aquatica var. terrea, V. brittonii, V. comosa, V. glandifera, V. micromera
Name authority Poiret: in J. Lamarck et al., Encycl. 8: 542. (1808) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 12. (1753) — (as anagall. s)
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