Veronica polita

Last updated

Veronica polita
Veronica polita RF.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Plantaginaceae
Genus: Veronica
Species:
V. polita
Binomial name
Veronica polita
Synonyms
  • Cardia didyma
  • Pocilla polita
  • Veronica agrestis subsp. didyma
  • Veronica agrestis subsp. polita
  • Veronica alsiphila
  • Veronica didyma
  • Veronica nitidula
  • Veronica thellungiana
Surface of fruit capsule showing short and long hairs Veronica polita sl3.jpg
Surface of fruit capsule showing short and long hairs

Veronica polita, the grey field-speedwell is a species of flowering plant in the Plantaginaceae (Plantain) family. It is native to Europe, southwestern Asia, North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and a few nearby countries, and has been introduced to many countries worldwide particularly as a weed of cultivation. [2]

Contents

Description

A sprawling, blue-flowered annual speedwell, with somewhat dull green, toothed leaves, broadest at the base. The flowers are smallish (4-8(12) mm diam), usually bold blue (though sometimes with a whitened lowermost part), and grow solitary on stalks emerging from the stem at the leaf stalk, the longest ones not clearly exceeding the leaves; they mature to form a fruit capsule whose two lobes are parallel, clothed with long and short hairs. The lower leaves are non-elongated in appearance, whilst the upper leaves are elongated. [3]

Similar species include Veronica agrestis (with fruit lacking short hairs, and leaves fresh green, the lowermost elongated) and Veronica persica (with flower stalks often much longer than the leaves, and the lobes of the fruit diverging like a 'V'). [3]

Variants - P D Sell distinguishes var. polita with flowers 5-8 mm diameter, and var. grandiflora flowers 8-12 mm diam. [3]

Distribution and Habitat

Native to Europe, southwestern Asia, North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and a few close by countries, introduced to many countries. [1]

Its habitat in Europe is cultivated ground. [4]

Its habitat in Turkey is bare soil in open forests, steppe, cultivated land, roadsides, 0-1800 m. [5]

Its habitat in North America is fields, ruderal places, calcareous soils, lawns, 0–600 m. [6]

Diseases

It is susceptible to downy mildew disease caused by the oomycete species Peronospora agrestis . [7]

Further reading

Related Research Articles

<i>Nemophila menziesii</i> Species of flowering plant

Nemophila menziesii, known commonly as baby blue eyes or baby's-blue-eyes, is an annual herb, native to western North America.

<i>Apium graveolens</i> Species of plant

Apium graveolens, known in English as wild celery is a species of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae. It has a broad native distribution from Macaronesia and Ireland in the west, through Europe north to Scotland, Denmark and Poland, and east as far as the western Himalayas; and also through North Africa to the Arabian Peninsula. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. The species was later used as a vegetable, particularly in Italy; modern cultivars have been selected for their leaf stalks (celery), a large bulb-like hypocotyl (celeriac), or their leaves.

<i>Lycium chinense</i> Species of flowering plant

Lycium chinense is one of two species of boxthorn shrub in the family Solanaceae. Along with Lycium barbarum, it produces the goji berry ("wolfberry"). Two varieties are recognized, L. chinense var. chinense and L. chinense var. potaninii. It is also known as Chinese boxthorn, Chinese matrimony-vine, Chinese teaplant, Chinese wolfberry, wolfberry, and Chinese desert-thorn.

<i>Veronica</i> (plant) Genus of flowering plants in the family Plantaginaceae

Veronica is the largest genus in the flowering plant family Plantaginaceae, with about 500 species. It was formerly classified in the family Scrophulariaceae. Common names include speedwell, bird's eye, and gypsyweed.

<i>Veronica persica</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae

Veronica persica is a flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae. Common names include birdeye speedwell, common field-speedwell, Persian speedwell, large field speedwell, bird's-eye, or winter speedwell. It is native to Eurasia and is widespread as an introduced species in the British Isles, North America, eastern Asia, including Japan and China, and Australia and New Zealand.

<i>Veronica arvensis</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae

Veronica arvensis, common names: wall speedwell, corn speedwell, common speedwell, rock speedwell, field speedwell, is an annual flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae. The species is native to Europe and a common weed in gardens, pastures, waste places, and cultivated land.

<i>Veronica agrestis</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae

Veronica agrestis, the green field-speedwell is a species of flowering plant in the Plantaginaceae (Plantain) family. It is native to Europe, western Asia and North Africa, and has been introduced to eastern North America, India and some other countries.

<i>Veronica serpyllifolia</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae

Veronica serpyllifolia, the thyme-leaved speedwell or thymeleaf speedwell, is a perennial flowering plant in the plantain family. The species as a whole is native mostly to Eurasia & North America, and has three variants with their individual ranges; var. serpyllifolia has particularly spread beyond its native range.

<i>Veronica derwentiana</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae

Veronica derwentiana, commonly known as Derwent speedwell, is a flowering plant species of the family Plantaginaceae, endemic to south-eastern Australia. It is a perennial with toothed leaves and white or pale blue flowers in terminal sprays in spring and summer.

<i>Veronica anagallis-aquatica</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae

Veronica anagallis-aquatica is a species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae known by the common names water speedwell, blue water-speedwell,brook pimpernel.

<i>Veronica filiformis</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae

Veronica filiformis is a species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae. It is known by many common names, including slender speedwell, creeping speedwell, threadstalk speedwell and Whetzel weed. It is native to eastern Europe and western Asia, and it is known in many other regions as an introduced species.

<i>Veronica scutellata</i> Species of flowering plant

Veronica scutellata is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common names marsh speedwell, skullcap speedwell, and grassleaf speedwell. It is native to temperate Asia, Europe, northern Africa, and northern North America in a variety of wet habitats.

<i>Veronica triphyllos</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae

Veronica triphyllos is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family known by the common name finger speedwell, or fingered speedwell. It is native to Europe, western Asia and NW Africa, but introduced to some parts of the United States.

<i>Veronica perfoliata</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae

Veronica perfoliata, commonly known as digger's speedwell, is a common perennial herb found at higher altitudes in south-eastern Australia. It is a low-growing multi-stemmed plant rising from a woody rootstock. It has rounded blue-grey foliage and sprays of intense violet-blue flowers at the end of arching branches. It is occasionally cultivated as a garden plant.

<i>Veronica montana</i> Species of flowering plant

Veronica montana or wood speedwell is a perennial species of flowering plant from the genus Veronica. It also belongs to the family Plantaginaceae.

<i>Veronica verna</i> Species of flowering plant

Veronica verna is a species of flowering plant in the Plantaginaceae (Plantain) family known as spring speedwell. It is native to Europe, south-western Asia and Morocco, but introduced to some parts of the United States.

<i>Veronica cymbalaria</i> Species of plant

Veronica cymbalaria, the pale speedwell, glandular speedwell or cymbal speedwell is a species of flowering plant in the Plantaginaceae (Plantain) family. It is native to countries surrounding the Mediterranean and a little further afield, and has been introduced to parts of the Americas and New Zealand.

<i>Corydalis pumila</i> Species of flowering plants

Corydalis pumila is a species of plant in the family Papaveraceae. It is found in Central Europe and has a small, fragmented distribution. In Poland, it is a rare species found only in the western part of the country. It grows mainly in fertile deciduous forests, rarely in cemeteries and parks. The aboveground shoot develops only for two months in early spring. As a very rare species losing its habitats, it is subject to legal protection in Poland.

Veronica crista-galli, the crested field-speedwell, is an annual flower in the family Plantaginaceae native from Iran north to the North Caucasus.

<i>Veronica acinifolia</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae

Veronica acinifolia, the French speedwell, is an annual flower in the family Plantaginaceae present within a band from Portugal to Britain on the west stretching eastwards far into Asia, with some gaps.

References

  1. 1 2 Plants of the World Online (with map)
  2. "Fermaugh Species Accounts (Veronica polita)".
  3. 1 2 3 Peter Sell & Gina Murrell. Flora of Great Britain and Ireland, vol. 3, p. 472.
  4. Tutin. Flora Europaea, vol. 3, p. 250.
  5. Davis. Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, vol. 6, p. 720.
  6. Flora of North America
  7. Constantinescu, O. (1991). "An annotated list of Peronospora names". Thunbergia. 15.