VERONICA. 
141 ) 
V. pyramidatum, 3 feet or more high, have also yellow 
blossoms. V. phoeniceum, however, has flowers which 
vary in colour from white to violet, lilac, rose, purple, 
red, and copper. It grows about 3 feet high, and has 
ovate oblong leaves with crenate margins. Increased 
by seeds or division. 
VERONICA. — The shrubby kinds having already 
been mentioned in the volume on “Beautiful Flowering 
Trees and Shrubs,” only a few of the best herbaceous 
kinds deserve notice here. V. gentianoules grows G 
to 12 inches high, having obovate or oblong Grentian- 
like leaves and erect spikes of rather large greyish blue 
flowers in May and June. There is also a white 
flowered variety and one with variegated leaves. 
V. saxatilis is a pretty Scottish tufted plant about 6 
inches high, having leathery leaves and clusters of 
bright blue blossoms from July to September. V. 
spicata is a native plant, 1 to 1^ feet high, with oblong 
lance-shaped leaves toothed on the margins. The 
bright blue flowers with long purple stamens are borne 
in dense erect spikes in July and August. The white 
flowered variety alba, is very handsome. V. longifolia 
grows 2 to 4 feet high and is closely related to V. spicata, 
and is indeed often confused with it. Its flowers vary 
in colour, being lilac, rose, or purple, or white, and 
borne in dense erect racemes. In the variety subsessilis, 
they are deep purple blue. The form in which the 
leaves are variegated with creamy-white or yellow is 
a dwarfer plant, but is worth growing for its bushy 
habit and ornamental appearance. V. pro strata forms 
a beautiful green carpet with bright blue flowers. 
The kinds mentioned above flourish in ordinary 
