154 SCBOPHUZABIACEJE. [Veronica. 



18. VERONICA, Linn, ; PL Brit. Ind. iv, 291. 



Herbs or shrubs, rarely trees. Leaves opposite, the cauline or all 

 rarely alternate. Flowers usually blue or purple, solitary, axillary or 

 in terminal or axillary racemes, bracts usaally conspicuous, bracteoles 

 none. Calyx 4-5-partite, the lower segments connate, upper (if 

 present) smaller. Corollx rotate or shortly salver-shaped ; lobes 4 or 

 6, spreading, the lateral, or one of them, outside in bud. Stamens 2, 

 -exserted, adnate to corolla-tube by the sides of the upper lobe ; 

 anther-cells confluent at their tips. Ovary 2-celled, stisrrmt subcapi- 

 tate ; ovules many or few, rarely only 2 in each cell. Fruit a com- 

 pressed or turgid 2-grooved capsule, dehiscing in various ways. 

 Seeds many or few, smooth or rugose, sometimes winged. — Species 

 over 200, mostly in temperate and alpine regions of both hemispheres, 

 less frequent in America. 



Leaves oblong or linear-oblong-, flowers in axillary 

 racemes. An ereot perennial usually glabrous 

 herb . 1. V. Anagallis. 



Leaves cordate-ovate or orbicular, flowers in 

 terminal racemes. A prostrate pubescent annual 2. V. agrestis. 



1. V. Anagallis, Linn. Bp. PL 12; Boyle III. 290; F.B.I, iv, 293; 

 Collett Fl. Bind. 357 ; Prain Beng PL 773 ; Coolie FL Bomb, ii, 301. \, 

 punctata, Buck-Ham. in Bon Prod. 93. V. Anagallis, var. punctata, 

 F.B.I. I.e. ; Prain Beng. PL lc 



An erect more or less succulent glabrous herb, 3-18 in. high. Btems 

 hollow, creeping below and stoloniferous. Leaves sessile or the lowest 

 shortly stalked, 2-6 in. long, oblong-lanceolate, or linear-oblong, 

 entire or serrate, base usually c ^rdate. Flowers in lax axillary racemes, 

 3-6 in. long ; pedicels filiform, spreading, longer than the linear-lanceo- 

 late bracts. Calyx about half as long as the pedicels, divided to the 

 base ; segments ovate, subacute. Corolla £-? in. across, pale-purple or 

 white. Capsules compressed, %-% in. long, orbicular or orbicular-oblong, 

 emarginate, glabrous. 



Abundant in wet places. Flowers in the cold season. Distrib, : Over 

 the greater part of India, and up to 9,000 ft. on the Himalaya and at 

 much higher elevations in Baltistan. Pound also in Europe, N. 

 America, and in nearly all warm and temperate regions of the world. 



2. V. agrestis, Linn. Bp. PI. 13; Boyle III. 290 ; F.B.I, iv, 294; Colleti 

 Fl. Biml. 357; Prain Beng. PL 773. 



A prostrate more or less pubescent annual. Btems spreading, 6-18 in., 

 long, much-branched. Leaves shortly petioled, £-1 in. long, broadly 

 ovate-cordate, or orbicular, coarsely crenate-serrate. Pedicels axillary 



