THE SPEEDWELLS 127 



such abundance in the meadows before haymaking, 

 and on the railway embankments, and which we 

 have already referred to. 



The Veronica spicata> one of our rarer British 

 speedwells, is the subject of Plate XII. It may be 

 sought for, which is not at all the same thing as 

 finding it, in limestone districts, and in dry pasturage 

 on the chalk, but it is exceedingly local, and its 

 discovery is a decided " find." Cambridgeshire, 

 Norfolk, and Suffolk appear to yield it more freely 

 than other parts of England. The arrangement of 

 the flowers in a terminal spike will at once identify 

 it amongst its fifteen fellow speedwells found on 

 British soil. Almost all the species should be 

 acceptable in the wild garden ; I many of them are 

 trailing, and quickly cover the rock-work or hedge- 

 bank with a handsome tapestry, while the erect 

 species form very pleasing masses, and as the 

 flowers in the various species vary from pale to 

 deep blue, they form very welcome spots of colour 

 amongst other herbage. While all are of interest 

 those which best repay us for cultivation are two of 

 the commonest, the brooklime and the germander 

 speedwell. The former we must plant in the 



1 Those who care to supplement the wild species by a visit 

 to the florist will find the following plants very serviceable : 

 Veronica amethystina, V. aphylla, V. corymbosa, V. latifolia, 

 V. gentianoides, V. taurica, and V. sibirica. All have flowers 

 of varying tints of blue. 



