18 Rhodora [January 



11. Veronica peregrina L. 



Veronica peregrina L., Sp. PI. 14. 1753. "Habitat in Europae 

 hortis, arvisque. " Diagnosis quoted from Linne, Fl. Suec. 6. no. 

 15. 1745, where we are told that the plant "habitat in cultis & 

 terra nuda Upsaliae, rarissima apud nos hodie plana, olim forte 

 copiosior evasura. " A plant of 'cultivated fields and bare earth,' 

 known from a single locality in Sweden, and there ' formerly abundant 

 but now very rare,' would seem to have been an adventive. That 

 this was Linne's opinion is shown by the specific name chosen, mean- 

 ing "foreign." 



Veronica caroliniana Walt., Fl. Carol. 61. 1788. Type doubtless 

 from lower South Carolina. The radical leaves are described as 

 subincised, cauline subserrate. Evidently this is a pronounced phase 

 of the 'romana' type, discussed below, and it is well-interpreted by 

 such a specimen as House 3179 from Clemson College, South Carol- 

 ina. 



Veronica carnulosa Lam., Ency. Meth., Illust. 1: 47. 1791. "Ex 

 Europa & America septentr. in arvis." 



Moist soil, river-banks, gardens and cultivated fields, usually 

 appearing as a weed; wide-spread through eastern North America 

 from New Brunswick to Iowa, Florida and Texas; also seen from 

 British Columbia, Alaska, New Mexico, Oregon, Bermuda and Ja- 

 maica. Westward passes into the yet more widely ranging variety 

 xalapensis. 



In the Species Plantarum, 1753, Linne twice described this species, 

 once from plants known living to him, as Veronica peregrina, and 

 once from a specimen from southern Europe in his herbarium as 

 V. romana. V. peregrina was supposed to possess leaves lanceolate- 

 linear and very entire, while V. romana had these oblong and sub- 

 dentate. The leaves of this species vary from one state to the other, 

 and on each individual the larger leaves tend to the "romana" type. 

 As romana has priority of position on page 14 of the Species Plant- 

 arum, and its diagnosis is descriptive of a specimen in the Linnean 

 Herbarium, a claim might be made that this name should be used 

 for our plant. However the citations in the synonomy of V. romana 

 all pertain to another species, later separated by Linne as Veronica 

 acinifolia (Sp. PI. ed. II. 19. 1762), and the specific name "romana" 

 was adopted from " Veronica minima, clinopodii minoris, folio glabro, 

 romana. Bocc. mus. 2. p. 29. t. 102." As the Linnean diagnosis 

 would also include Boccone's plant, which was clearly illustrated 

 in the latter's Museo di Piante Rare della . . . Italia . . . 

 19. pi. 102. 1697, I think we should hold romana for this species, 

 placing acinifolia in its synonomy. 



