(A) American Brooklime (Veronica americana), tlie 
prettiest of the speedwells or veronicas, is a very frail 
plant. 
The stem is stout, smooth, hollow and quite weak; 
the lower part spreads over the ground and frequently 
takes root at the angles of the lower leaves. At inter¬ 
vals, branches rise to height of 6 to 15 inches, bearing 
from the axils of the upper leaves, small four-parted 
blue flowers in loose racemes. The light blue petals have 
purple stripes and a white spot at the base. 
Brooklime has a long season of bloom, being found in 
flower from May until September. It is common in 
moist ditches and along brooks or in swamps, from New¬ 
foundland to Alaska and south to Va. and Mo. 
(B) Common Speedwell (Veronica officinalis) is a 
popular little plant. The prostrate woolly stem is erect 
at the end and terminates in a raceme of pale lavender, 
four-petalled flowers, the lower petal of which is con¬ 
spicuously smaller than the other three, a common trait 
of this genus. Speedwell is quite common through the 
United States and southern Canada. 
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