Veronica serpyllifolia |
Veronica argute-serrata |
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thyme-leaf speedwell |
bilobed speedwell, sawtooth speedwell, twolobed speedwell |
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Habit | Perennials. | Annuals. |
Stems | creeping to ascending, 5–40 cm, scattered eglandular hairs only, often also with glandular hairs, sometimes glabrate. |
erect, (7–)10–20(–30) cm, eglandular- and/or glandular-hairy. |
Leaves | blade oblong-lanceolate to ovate, 8–25 × 5–13 mm, 1.5–2.5 times as long as wide, base cuneate, margins subentire or serrulate-crenate, apex rounded to short-acuminate, surfaces glabrate. |
blade lanceolate or elliptic, (6–)12–28(–35) × 3–12(–20) mm, base cuneate, margins serrate, teeth 4–7(–12) per side, apex acute, surfaces sparsely glandular-hairy or glabrate. |
Racemes | 1, terminal, 50–100 mm, 10–30(–60)-flowered, axis eglandular- and glandular-hairy; bracts oblong, 4–7 mm. |
1–8, terminal, usually reduced and replaced by 2 pseudodichotomous racemes with additional axillary racemes, 80–150 mm, (5–)10–25(–35)-flowered, axis eglandular- and/or glandular-hairy; bracts lanceolate, 9–12 mm, proximals with margins serrate, distals sometimes entire. |
Pedicels | erect, 2–5 mm, 4–6 mm in fruit, shorter than subtending bract in flower, eglandular- and, sometimes, glandular-hairy. |
erect-patent to spreading proximally, deflexed distally, (3–)6–9(–12) mm, shorter than subtending bract, densely glandular- and eglandular-hairy. |
Flowers | calyx lobes 2–3 mm, apex acute, ciliate; corolla white, blue, or pink, with purple or dark blue veins (except on abaxial lobe), rotate, 5–8 mm diam.; stamens 2.5–3 mm; style 2–4 mm. |
calyx lobes (5–)6–8.5(–10) mm, apex acuminate-acute, pairs connate 0.8–1.1 mm, glandular- and eglandular-hairy, rarely sparsely hairy; corolla mostly intense blue with white center, 4–6 mm diam.; stamens 2.5 mm; style (0.7–)1–1.3(–1.7) mm. |
Capsules | compressed in cross section, obcordiform, 2.5–3.5 × 4–5.5 mm, wider than long, apex acutely emarginate, glandular-ciliate, otherwise glabrate. |
slightly compressed in cross section, 3.5–5 × (4–)5–8 mm, apex emarginate, sinus angle 30–45(–60)°, densely eglandular- and glandular-hairy, rarely eglandular-hairy. |
Seeds | 50–72, brown, ellipsoid, flat, 0.6–1.1 × 0.4–1 mm, 0.2 mm thick, smooth. |
4–10, yellowish brown, oblong to ovoid, cymbiform, 1.5–2.5 × 0.8–1.5 mm, 0.8 mm thick, cristate, dorsally reticulate-verrucate. |
2n | = 14. |
= 18, 42 (Asia). |
Veronica serpyllifolia |
Veronica argute-serrata |
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Phenology | Flowering Apr–Aug. | Flowering Apr–Jun. |
Habitat | River banks, wet places, moist meadows, shady forests. | Bare soils, oak and juniper forests, steppes, alpine meadows, fields, stony slopes, streams, gardens, ruins, ruderal places, calcareous and siliceous soils. |
Elevation | 0–3300 m. [0–10800 ft.] | (600–)900–3000 m. [(2000–)3000–9800 ft.] |
Distribution |
AK; AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; NC; ND; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; TN; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; NB; NL; NS; ON; PE; QC; SK; South America; Mexico (Baja California); Eurasia; Australia
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CO; ID; IL; KS; MT; NE; NM; NV; NY; OR; UT; WA; WY; BC; Eurasia [Introduced in North America]
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Discussion | Alpine plants of Veronica serpyllifolia with bright blue, larger corollas, and smaller, hairier raceme axes have been treated at various ranks under the epithet humifusa. The characters are labile and show intergradations with the typical plants. Veronica serpyllifolia is widespread; it is not clear where it is native. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Veronica argute-serrata has been recorded mostly under the name V. biloba and occasionally under V. campylopoda Boissier. Most of the records for V. biloba likely belong under this name. Veronica biloba is also found in the flora area, sometimes mixed with V. argute-serrata; V. campylopoda has not been recorded from the flora area. A chromosome count of 2n = 18 (C. R. Bell 1965) for American material is suspicious because 2n = 42 has been reported multiple times in Turkish plants, and a base chromosome number of × = 9 is not known in related species. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 17, p. 312. | FNA vol. 17, p. 321. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | V. humifusa, V. serpyllifolia var. decipiens, V. serpyllifolia subsp. humifusa, V. serpyllifolia var. humifusa, V. tenella | V. bornmuelleri |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 12. (1753) | Regel & Schmalhausen: Trudy Imp. S.-Peterburgsk. Bot. Sada 5: 626. (1878) — (as argute serrata) |
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