SCEOPHULABIACEAE. 



349 



8. VERONICA [Tourn.] L. 



Herbs (some exotic species shrubs or trees), with opposite and alternate, 

 rarely verticillate leaves, and mostly small blue, purple, pink or white flowers, 

 racemose, spicate, or solitary. 'Calyx mostly 4-parted, sometimes 5-parted. 

 Corolla rotate, its tube very short, deeply and more or less unequally 4-lobed 

 (rarely 5-lobed), the lower lobe commonly the narrowest. Stamens 2, diverg- 

 ent ; anthers obtuse, their sacs confluent at the summit. Ovary 2-celled ; style 

 slender; stigma capitate. Capsule compressed, sometimes very flat, emarginate, 

 obcordate, or 2-lobed, loculicidally dehiscent. Seeds flat, plano-convex, or ex- 

 cavated on the inner side. [Named for St. Veronica.] About 200 species, of 

 wide distribution. Type species: Veronica officinafis L. 



Pedicels as long as the subtending bracts, or longer. 

 Pedicels shorter than the subtending bracts. 



Foliage pubescent. 



Foliage glabrous or glandular. 



1. Veronica agrestis L. FIELD 

 OB GARDEN SPEEDWELL. (Fig. 381.) 

 Annual, pubescent; stems creeping or 

 procumbent, very slender, 3' 8' long, 

 the branches ascending or spreading. 

 Leaves broadly ovate or oval, obtuse 

 at the apex, rounded, truncate or sub- 

 cordate at the base, crenate, short- 

 petioled, or the uppermost sessile, the 

 lower opposite, the upper alternate 

 and each with a slender-peduncled 

 small blue flower in its axil; capsule 

 broader than high, compressed, nar- 

 rowly emarginate, 2" broad. 



In waste and cultivated grounds. 

 Naturalized. Native of Europe. Nat- 

 uralized in eastern North America and 

 in Jamaica. Spring to autumn. 



1. V. agrestis. 



2. V. arvensis. 



3. V. pereyrina. 



2. Veronica arvensis L. CORN 

 OR WALL SPEEDWELL. (Fig. 382.) 

 Annual, pubescent ; stem slender, at 

 length much branched and diffuse, 

 3' 10' long. Lower leaves ovate or 

 oval, opposite, obtuse at both ends, 

 crenate or crenulate, 2"-6" long, the 

 lowest petioled ; upper leaves sessile, 

 alternate, ovate or lanceolate, acute 

 or acutish, commonly entire, each 

 with a short-stalked flower in its 

 axil; peduncles shorter than the 

 calyx; corolla blue, or nearly white, 

 1" broad or less; capsule broadly 

 obovate, obcordate, 1" high. 



Frequent in waste and cujtivated 

 grounds. Naturalized. Native of 

 Europe. Naturalized in North America, 

 and in Jamaica. Spring to autumn. 



