Veronica teucrium

Perennials. Stems erect, rarely ascending, (15–)30–70(–100) cm, eglandular-hairy, hairs evenly distributed around stem. Leaves: blade ovate or oblong-ovate, rarely lanceolate, (20–)30–55(–70) × (6–)15–25(–45) mm, 2–3(–4) times as long as wide, base ± cordate, margins dentate to serrate to crenate-incised, rarely subentire, apex acute, abaxial surface hairy, adaxial glabrous. Racemes 2–4(–8), axillary, 60–150 mm, 50–150-flowered, axis hairy; bracts linear-lanceolate to linear, 4–8(–14) mm. Pedicels erect, 3–7(–14) mm, equal to subtending bract, eglandular-hairy. Flowers: calyx 5-lobed, abaxial lobes 3–4 mm, adaxial 1–1.5 mm, apex acute, glabrous or hairy; corolla bright blue, rarely pinkish or white, (9–)12–18 mm diam.; stamens 4.5–6 mm; style 5–6 mm. Capsules ± compressed to ± round in cross section, broadly obovoid or obcordiform, (3–)4–5.5 × (2.5–)3.5–5 mm, apex not deeply, narrowly emarginate, glabrous or sparsely hairy. Seeds (2–)8–18, brown, widely ellipsoid to widely obovoid, flat, 1.2–2.1 × 1–1.5 mm, 0.2–0.4 mm thick, smooth. 2n = 48, 64 (Europe).

Phenology: Flowering May–Jul.
Habitat: Dry meadows, forest edges, scrub, calcareous soils.
Elevation: 0–1000 m.

Distribution

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• Legacy Map

Introduced; Nfld. and Labr. (Nfld.), Ont., Que., Conn., D.C., Ill., Ind., Maine, Md., Mass., Mich., Mo., N.H., N.J., N.Y., Ohio, Pa., S.Dak., Vt., Wis., Europe.

Discussion

Veronica teucrium has often been considered an infraspecific taxon of V. austriaca; many records of V. teucrium have been reported under the name V. austriaca. The occurrence of V. austriaca in the narrow sense in the flora area could be neither supported nor excluded; it differs from V. teucrium mainly in distal leaves of the vegetative shoot linear and entire.

Related species have been introduced for horticultural reasons but apparently have not escaped. Veronica satureiifolia Poiteau & Turpin was reported from Missouri by G. Yatskievych [1999–2013; as V. scheereri (J.-P. Brandt) Holub] outside cultivation based on a single specimen and was similarly found in MIN but likely not naturalized. The name V. latifolia Linnaeus, which has at times been used for V. teucrium, is now considered ambiguous and should not be used (R. K. Brummitt 2007). Reports of V. teucrium in Saskatchewan have not been verified.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.