Family: Plantaginaceae
brooklime, speedwell
Etymology: Veronica: named after Saint Veronica, the woman who gave Jesus a cloth to wipe his face while on the way to Calvary, and so named because the markings on some species supposedly resemble those on her sacred handkerchief
Plants: trailing to erect perennial, 4"-10" tall forb, mostly smooth; from rhizomes
Leaves: all opposite and short-stalked, mostly widest near the base and usually 2-4 times as long as wide
Flowers: blue, 4-parted, 1/4"-1/3" wide, lobes longer than the tube; inflorescence a stalked, open cluster (raceme) of 10-15 stalked flowers only from the upper leaf axils; blooms June-Oct.
Fruits: swollen capsule with many seeds
Habitat: wet; shores, streambanks, shallows
Plants: trailing to erect perennial, 4"-10" tall forb, mostly smooth; from rhizomes
Leaves: all opposite and short-stalked, mostly widest near the base and usually 2-4 times as long as wide
Flowers: blue, 4-parted, 1/4"-1/3" wide, lobes longer than the tube; inflorescence a stalked, open cluster (raceme) of 10-15 stalked flowers only from the upper leaf axils; blooms June-Oct.
Fruits: swollen capsule with many seeds
Habitat: wet; shores, streambanks, shallows
Floristic Rating: Coefficient of Conservatism = 9, Wetland Indicator = OBL USDA Plants Database: Federal Distribution and detailed information including photos Southwest School of Botanical Medicine: Britton & Brown Illustrated Flora - 2nd Edition (1913) "An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada"