Veronica verna |
Veronica wormskjoldii |
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speedwell, spring speedwell |
alpine speedwell, American alpine speedwell, hairy speedwell, spring speedwell, thyme-leaf speedwell, wormskjold's alpine speedwell |
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Habit | Annuals. | Perennials. | ||||
Stems | erect or ascending, (1–)3–15(–20) cm, at least distally glandular- and eglandular-hairy. |
erect or ascending, light grayish green distally, unbranched, (3–)8–50 cm, sparsely to densely villous-hirsute, sometimes also glandular-hairy. |
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Leaves | blade lanceolate to ovate, (4–)6–13 × (2.5–)4–10 mm, 1.3–1.6 times as long as wide, base cuneate, proximal margins coarsely crenate-serrate, distal pinnatifid to subpalmatifid, lobes 3–7, central largest, lateral linear to lanceolate, apex of central lobe obtuse, lateral ± acute, surfaces sparsely glandular-hairy. |
blade elliptic to lanceolate or oblong-ovate, 8–40 × 5–20 mm, base cuneate, margins entire, dentate, or serrate, apex short-acuminate, surfaces sparsely to densely villous-hirsute or glabrous. |
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Racemes | 1–3, terminal and axillary, 20–80 mm, (5–)15–40(–60)-flowered, axis eglandular- and glandular-hairy; bracts proximalmost often 3-fid, others linear-lanceolate, 3–5(–8) mm. |
1, terminal, 5–40 mm, to 60(–150) mm in fruit, (2–)5–25-flowered, axis densely villous-hirsute and ± glandular-hairy; bracts linear to lanceolate, 1–8 mm. |
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Pedicels | erect, (0.4–)1–3 mm, shorter than subtending bract, length 1/3–1/2 times calyx, eglandular- and glandular-hairy. |
erect, 2–10(–15) mm, ca. equal to subtending bract, densely villous-hirsute or glandular-hairy. |
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Flowers | calyx lobes (2–)3–5(–7) mm, apex acute, eglandular- and glandular-hairy; corolla sky to pale blue, 1.5–3 mm diam.; stamens 0.2–0.6 mm; style 0.2–0.6 mm, stigma white. |
calyx lobes (2.5–)3–5.5(–7) mm, apex obtuse or acuminate, glabrous or densely glandular-hairy; corolla deep blue-violet or violet-purple to deep blue, rotate, 3–11 mm diam.; stamens 1–2 mm; style 0.8–4(–6) mm. |
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Capsules | compressed in cross section, obcordiform, 2.5–3.5 × 3.5–5 mm, apex emarginate, eglandular-hairy. |
compressed in cross section, oblong-obovoid, 4–6(–8) × (2.8–)4–5.5 mm, ca. as long as wide, apex emarginate, usually densely glandular-hairy. |
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Seeds | 8–20(–26), yellowish, ellipsoid, flat, 0.9–1.6 × 0.6–1.3 mm, 0.2 mm thick, smooth to ± rugulose. |
10–50, straw colored, ellipsoid, flat, 0.7–1 × 0.4–1 mm, 0.05–1 mm thick, very minutely striate. |
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2n | = 16 (Eurasia). |
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Veronica verna |
Veronica wormskjoldii |
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Phenology | Flowering (Mar–)Apr–Jun(–Aug). | |||||
Habitat | Open pine and oak forests, rocky and sandy steppes, pastures, meadows. | |||||
Elevation | 300–2600 m. (1000–8500 ft.) | |||||
Distribution |
ID; IN; MA; MI; MN; MT; NY; OR; WA; WI; WY; BC; NB; NS; ON; PE; Eurasia [Introduced in North America]
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AK; AZ; CA; CO; ID; ME; MT; NH; NM; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC; NT; NU; ON; QC; YT
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Discussion | Specimens of Veronica verna from Alberta have not been verified. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora). Veronica wormskjoldii occurs in two cytotypes, a diploid (2n = 18) in western North America and a tetraploid (2n = 36) in eastern North America and Greenland. As demonstrated by D. C. Albach et al. (2006), the tetraploid is likely to be a hybrid of the diploid V. alpina and V. wormskjoldii. In that publication, species rank was used for simplicity, not as a taxonomic conclusion. However, subsequent morphological analyses in conjunction with preparing this treatment revealed that the large variation in the diploid V. wormskjoldii, also supported by the large number of varieties established within that taxon, make it nearly impossible to differentiate the two North American taxa morphologically. In cases where two taxa are morphologically undifferentiable, but karyologically and genetically distinct and geographically clearly separate, the rank of subspecies seems more appropriate. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 17, p. 317. | FNA vol. 17, p. 309. | ||||
Parent taxa | Plantaginaceae > Veronica | Plantaginaceae > Veronica | ||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||
Synonyms | V. alpina subsp. wormskjoldii, V. alpina var. wormskjoldii | |||||
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 14. (1753) | Roemer & Schultes: in J. J. Roemer et al., Syst. Veg. 1: 101. (1817) — (as wormskjoldi) | ||||
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