Veronica undulata |
Veronica spicata |
|
---|---|---|
undulate speedwell, wavy-leaf water speedwell |
spike speedwell, véronique en épi |
|
Habit | Annuals or perennials. | Perennials. |
Stems | erect or prostrate basally, 10–100 cm, glabrous at least proximally, glandular-hairy distally. |
ascending, usually with 4–10 nodes, 5–45(–60) cm, proximally eglandular- or glandular-hairy, sometimes glabrous, distally eglandular- and, usually, glandular-hairy. |
Leaves | petiole 0–5 mm; blade elliptic to ovate, sometimes ovate-oblong or linear-lanceolate, rarely lanceolate, 20–50(–100) × 5–20(–25) mm, 2.5–4 times as long as wide, base attenuate, upwards amplexicaul, margins subentire or crenate to serrate or ± undulate, apex acute to obtuse, surfaces glabrous. |
blade ovate-oblong to narrowly oblong-lanceolate, (30–)40–70(–80) × 5–20 mm, base long-cuneate, margins shallowly crenate to shallowly serrate to subentire, apex obtuse to rounded, surfaces densely glandular- or eglandular-hairy, rarely glabrate. |
Racemes | 6–25, axillary, 50–220 mm, 10–15 mm diam., 10–100-flowered, axis sparsely glandular-hairy, rarely glabrous; pedicels 2–6 per cm; bracts linear to lanceolate, 3–6 mm, apex acute. |
1(–7), terminal, sometimes with lateral ones, (50–)70–130(–170) mm, (50–)100–300-flowered, axis eglandular- and glandular-hairy; bracts oblong to lanceolate, 3–5 mm. |
Pedicels | patent, 3–5 mm, equal to subtending bract, sparsely glandular-hairy. |
suberect to patent, 0.5–1(–2) mm, shorter than subtending bract, eglandular- and glandular-hairy. |
Flowers | calyx lobes 1.5–2(–3) mm, apex acute, sparsely glandular-hairy, rarely glabrous; corolla pale blue or pale lilac, rarely white, 2.5–5 mm diam.; stamens 2 mm; style 0.9–2 mm. |
calyx lobes 2–3 mm, ciliate, apex obtuse, glandular-hairy, rarely eglandular-hairy; corolla blue, campanulate, longer than wide, 5–6 mm diam., lobes 3–4.5 × 1.5–2 mm; stamens 5 mm; style 8 mm. |
Capsules | slightly compressed in cross section, obcordiform to globular, 2–3 × 2–3 mm, apex rounded or ± emarginate, sparsely glandular-hairy. |
± compressed in cross section, broadly ovoid, 2–3 × 2–3 mm, apex obtuse, densely glandular-puberulent. |
Seeds | 30–40, ochre, broadly ellipsoid, ± flat, convex on both sides, 0.5–0.6 × 0.4–0.5 mm, thickness and texture unknown. |
3–40, light brown, ellipsoid, flat, 0.6–1.2 × 0.5–0.8 mm, 0.2–0.4 mm thick, smooth. |
2n | = 54 (Asia). |
= 34, 68 (Europe). |
Veronica undulata |
Veronica spicata |
|
Phenology | Flowering (Mar–)Apr–Sep. | Flowering Jun–Sep. |
Habitat | Disturbed, wet places, ditches, or swamps. | Dry grasslands. |
Elevation | 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.) | 0–700 m. (0–2300 ft.) |
Distribution |
AL; OR; WA; Asia [Introduced in North America] |
CT; NH; NY; ON; QC; Eurasia [Introduced in North America] |
Discussion | In the flora area, Veronica undulata was introduced near ports (Mobile, Alabama, and Portland, Oregon) before 1900 via ship ballast from trade with Asia, did not spread much, and may not have persisted. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Veronica spicata is widely distributed in horticulture and a multitude of cultivars is available. Some specimens may also be derived from a related species, V. barrelieri Schott ex Roemer & Schultes, differentiated from V. spicata by glabrous calyx lobes, and in its typical variety, by eglandular pubescence. Another closely related species, V. incana Linnaeus, has a dense white woolly indumentum and is native to northern Asia and eastern Europe; it has not escaped from cultivation in the flora area. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 17, p. 314. | FNA vol. 17, p. 308. |
Parent taxa | ||
Sibling taxa | ||
Name authority | Wallich: in W. Roxburgh, Fl. Ind. 1: 147. (1820) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 10. (1753) |
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