Flora of the Palouse Region 163 



273. VERONICA. 



Chiefly herbs: leaves opposite or whorled, or the upper alter- 

 nate: flowers small, in racemes or spikes or sometimes solitary in 

 the axils: calyx 4-parted: corolla rotate, 4-parted, the lower lobes 

 and sometimes the lateral ones narrower: stamens 2, exserted: 

 style entire; stigma single: capsule flattened, few many-seeded. 



Flowers in terminal racemes, blue. V. serpyllifoua. 



Flowers solitary, axillary, white. V. PEREGRINA. 

 Flowers in axillary racemes. 



Leaves oblong or ovate. V. AMERICANA. 



Leaves linear-lanceolate. V. SCUTEIXATA. 



V. serpyllifolia L. Perennial, glabrous or puberulent: stems erect or de- 

 cumbent, 10-15 cm. high: leaves opposite, oval, ovate or orbicular, crenate- 

 dentate or subentire, short-petioled, about 1 cm. long: racemes terminal: 

 bracts oblong, alternate; pedicels erect, equalling or exceeding the calyx: 

 corolla blue, dark-striped, 4 mm. broad: capsule orbicular, notched at apex, 

 as long as the calyx. Moist places, rather common. 



V. peregrina L. Annual, erect, branched from the base, glabrous or 

 puberulent and glandular, 8-40 cm. high: lower leaves opposite, petioled, 

 oblong, obtuse, dentate; upper alternate, linear, obtuse or acute, entire or 

 nearly so, 1-2 cm. long: flowers white, solitary in the axils; pedicels very 

 short, not as long as the flowers: corolla 1-2 mm. broad: capsules orbicular, 

 notched, nearly as long as the calyx. Common in moist places, variable. 



V. americana Schwein. Perennial, glabrous throughout, rooting at the 

 lower nodes: stems decumbent, usually branched, 30-60 cm. long: leaves all 

 opposite, oblong, ovate or lanceolate, obtuse, serrate, rounded at the base, 

 short-petioled: racemes opposite, in the upper axils, exceeding the leaves: 

 pedicels spreading, longer than the bracts and flowers: flower blue with 

 darker stripes, 4 mm. broad: capsule notched at apex, 4-5 mm. broad. Wet 

 places, infrequent. 



V. SCtltellata L. Perennial, glabrous or nearly so, rooting at the lower 

 joints: stems 15-30 cm. high: leaves all sessile, lanceolate or nearlv linear, 

 mostly denticulate or entire, attenuate-acute, 3-5 cm. long: racemes axillary 

 from alternate axils, slender, few-flowered, as long as or exceeding the 

 leaves: pedicels slender, spreading: corolla blue, 4-5 mm. broad: capsule 

 notched both at apex and base. Wet places, not common. 



274. CASTILLEIA. 



Perennial herbs (in ours), sometimes woody at base: leaves 

 alternate, entire orcut-lobed; the floral ones usually dilated, col- 

 ored and more showy than the yellow or purplish spiked flowers: 

 calyx tubular, flattened, 2 or4-lobed: corolla-tube included; upper 

 lip (galea) much longer than the lower, narrow, arched and keeled, 

 enclosing the 4 unequal stamens; lower lip short, 3-lobed: stamens 

 4; anthers unequally 2-celled: capsule many-seeded. 



