Veronica officinalis

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Veronica officinalis
Veronica officinalis-53.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. officinalis
Binomial name
Veronica officinalis
L.
Heath speedwell in Oregon Gypsyweed.jpg
Heath speedwell in Oregon

Veronica officinalis, the heath speedwell, [1] common gypsyweed, [2] common speedwell, or Paul's betony, is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae. It is native to Europe and western Asia. It has been introduced to North America and is widely naturalised there.

Contents

Description

It is a herbaceous perennial with hairy green stems 10–50 cm (3.9–19.7 in) long that cover the ground in mats and send up short vertical shoots which bear soft violet flowers. The leaves are 1.5–5 cm (0.59–1.97 in) and 1–3 cm (0.39–1.18 in) broad, and softly hairy.

Heath speedwell in Pennsylvania Heath Speedwell (Veronica officinalis) in Pennsylvania.jpg
Heath speedwell in Pennsylvania

It flowers from May until August.

Cultivation and uses

This speedwell grows in open areas, such as fields, meadows and gardens, where it is sometimes grown as an edible, or medicinal herb. [3]

The slightly bitter and astringent taste and tea-like smell of speedwell led to its use as a tea substitute in 19th-century France, where it was called thé d'Europe, or "Europe tea". The French still use this term as a name for speedwell. [4]

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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, including most of Canada and the northern half of the United States. It occurs in moist and wet habitats, such as ponds, marshes and other wetlands. It is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial producing a decumbent or upright stem 40–60 cm (16–24 in) in maximum height. It is mostly hairless in texture. The purple-green or reddish leaves are oppositely arranged in pairs about the stem, the blades lance-shaped and smooth-edged. The inflorescence is an open array of several flowers on thin, straight pedicels. The flower is up to 1 cm (0.39 in) wide with four lobes, the upper lobe being largest. It is white, blue, or purplish with purple veining. It yields a flat, notched capsule a few millimeters wide.

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

Veronica austriaca, the broadleaf speedwell, large speedwell, Austrian speedwell, or saw-leaved speedwell, is a species of flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae, native to northern temperate Europe. Growing to 90 cm (35 in) tall by 60 cm (24 in) broad, it is a mound-forming herbaceous perennial, with deeply toothed leaves and erect spikes of bright blue flowers throughout summer.

<i>Clinopodium menthifolium</i> Species of flowering plant

Clinopodium menthifolium, commonly known as the wood calamint or woodland calamint, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is found throughout southern and central Europe from the United Kingdom and east as far as temperate parts of Asia, and as south as North Africa. It grows up to 1,700 m (5,600 ft) in elevation.

References

  1. BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  2. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Veronica officinalis". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
  3. "Veronica officinalis". PFAF.
  4. Pharmacopoea Bavarica Iussu Regio Edita (in Latin). Munich: Joseph Lindauer. 1822. p. 132.

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