VERONICA 



VERONICA (after St. Veronica). Scrophulariacece. 

 SPEEDWELL. The Speedwells are mostly herbs, with a 

 few exotic shrubs, best known by their usually long ra- 

 cemes of small blue flowers. About 200 species, mostly 

 in the northern hemisphere, a few species in the tropics 

 and southern hemisphere. In New Zealand they are a 

 dominant feature of the country. Plants in cultivation 

 are mostly hardy at the North, usually low-growing and 

 occasionally prostrate. Lvs. opposite, rarely verticillate 

 or alternate: tls. in axillary or terminal racemes and 

 bracted; calyx 4-o-parted; corolla usually blue, rarely 

 pink or white, wheel-shaped or salver-shaped, the 

 lateral lobes or the lowermost one commonly narrower 

 than the others; stamens 2. exserted, one on each side 

 of the upper lobe of the corolla; style entire, subcapi- 

 tate: capsule flattened, obtuse or notched at apex, 2- 

 furrowed: seeds few or many. 



All are showy, free-flowering plants, used, except the 

 shrubs, as garden perennials or annuals, and are propa- 

 gated by seeds, the perennials also by division, the 

 shrubs by cuttings in spring or summer. They succeed 

 in any good garden soil in a sunny situation. The 

 lower-growing forms are good rock-plants; the taller are 

 adapted to the herbaceous border. The shrubby forms 

 are greenhouse plants or grown only in warmer parts of 

 the country, particularly California, where they are 

 everblooming, and where they do well along the coast 

 even in exposed places by the sea. The shrubby species 

 are mostly natives of New Zealand. They are well re- 

 viewed in The Garden 45, p. 506, and 28, p. 292. Some 

 of them have enjoyed a considerable popularity in Eng- 

 land, where they are generally seen in cool conserva- 

 tories, but they survive the winters outdoors in the 

 most favored parts of the British Isles. The first hy- 

 brid was raised in 1848 by Isaac Anderson-Henry (then 

 Isaac Anderson), a noted hybridizer. This gentleman 

 continued his experiments for several years, using V. 

 Kjx'i'itisa, snlicifolia and elliptica. His work was con- 

 tinued by others, and most of the hybrid Veronicas of 

 to-day have the parentage above indicated, with the 

 blood of V. speciosa generally much in evidence. If a 

 collective name for Veronica hybrids is desired, V. spe- 

 ciosa var. hybrida is the best name for the whole group. 

 Unfortunately all these hybrids are unfit for general 

 cultivation out-of-doors in northern climes, but a hardier 

 race will probably be secured by using V. Traversii and 

 its allies, which have been introduced more recently. 

 Some of these are V. Colensoi, Rakaiensis, anomala, 

 >niiticola and pinie loides, all unknown to the Ameri- 

 can trade. A third and still hardier group of the New 

 Zealand Speedwells is the truly alpine group known as 

 Whipcord Veronicas. These should be quite hardy in 

 northern rockeries. They are unknown in America now. 

 The best of the group 'is said to be V. cupressoides, 

 var. variability, known to English trade as V. saH- 

 comoides. Others in cultivation are V. Hectori, Arm- 

 xtrnngi and lycopodioides. 



Veronica was monographed by Bentham in Latin in 

 DC. Prod. 10:458-491 (1846), 158 species being then 

 known. An excellent account of cultivated Veronicas is 

 found in Vilmorin's Blumengartnerei. 



A. Plants shrubby, all from New 

 Zealand and oil u'itli opposite 

 leaves; tender in the North. 

 B.' Margin of Ivs. coarsely serrate.. 1. Hulkeana 

 BB. Margin of Ivs. entire. 

 0. Pairs of Ivs. crowded. 



D. Racemes suMermimil 2. Traversii 



VERONICA 1919 



DD. Racemes axillary ;i. elliptica 



CC. Pairs of Irs. rather distant 4. speciosa 



D. Height i-G ft.: Ivs. 1-1% in. 



if ill, . 



DD. Height 10-15 ft. or more: frx. 



4-8 Ihi' .< a ill, . 

 E. Capsule scarcely twice at 



tony <tx nili/j- :,. salicifolia 



EE. Capsule about three times 



as I" Hi/ K.S nilyjc ti. macrocarpa 



AA. Plants hardy herbs. 

 B. Diinitinn iiinniill. 



c. Height a foot or less: flu. blue. 



D. Racemes axillary 7. Buxbaumii 



DD. Racemes terminal 8. Byriaca 



CC. Height 2-4 ft.: fls. whitish 9. serpyllifolia 



BB. Duration perennial. 



c. Lvs. in whorls of 4-7: corolla 

 salver-shaped, tube longer 



(Jinn limb 10. Virginica 



CC. Lvs. usually opposite, occa- 

 sionally alternate. 

 D. Racemes terminal. 

 E. Habit creeping : plants 

 3-12 in. high. 



F. Capsule oblong 11. alpina 



FF. Capsule roundish or 



broader than long. 

 G. Apex of capsule 



slightly notched 12. gentianoides 



GO. Apex of capsule deeply 



notched 13. repens 



EE. Habit upright: plants 

 stronger growing and 



taller. 

 F. Foliage and stem white - 



woolly 14. incana 



FF. foliage nearly glabrous: 



Ivs. large, dentate. 



G. Lower Ivs. pinnatisect.15. pinnata 

 GO. Lower Ivs. merely ser- 

 rate or crenate. 



H. Racemes panicled . .16. spuria 

 HH. Racemes solitary or 



feu-. 



i. Lvs. lanceolate ...17. longifolia 

 n. I.i-x. ovate-oblong.. IS, spicata 

 DD. Racemes axillary. 



E. Habit low and creeping. 



F. Lvs. narrow 19. circseoides 



FF. Lvs. broader. 



G. The racemes few-fid. . .20. montana 

 GO. The racemes many-fid. 

 H. Fls. pale blue, 



rarely pink 21. officinalis 



HH. Fls. deep blue, white 



center 22. pectinata 



EE. Habit taller, more upright. 



F. Calyx 4-parted 23. Chamaedryi 



FF. Calyx 5-parted. 



a. Lvs. more or lets den- 

 tate 24. Teucrium 



GO. Lvs. deeply pinnatifid.25. Austriaca 



1. Hulkeana, F. Mueller. Showy lilac-fld. species, 

 readily distinguished by its serrate Ivs. and terminal 

 racemes. Slender, erect, sparingly leafy, straggling 

 shrub. 1-3 ft. high, with branching stems: Ivs. \-\% 

 in. long, in sparse pairs, ovate or oblong, obtuse or 

 acute, coarsely serrate, smooth, leathery: raceme slen- 

 der, terminal, branching, spreading, 4-10 In. long: fls. 

 sessile, lilac : capsule small, longer than broad, twice 

 exceeding the sepals. Summer. Mts. and rocky places. 

 New Zealand. B.M. 5484. 



2. Traversii, Hook, f . White-flowered shrub about 2-:i 

 ft., of special interest as being hardy in Ireland and 

 parts of England. A smooth, much-branched shrub: 

 Ivs. linear or linear-oblong, entire, smooth, opposite, 

 sessile, thick, 54-1 in. long, numerous: racemes axil- 

 lary, large: Ms. many, small, white or mauve: capsule 

 i, Mite ::-4 times exceeding the calyx. All Rummer. 

 New Zealand. B.M. 6390. On. 32, p. 217. 



121 



