Images: ©Jouko Lehmuskallio
Alpine Speedwell
Veronica alpina
- Family: Figwort Family – Scrophulariaceae
- Height: 5–15 cm (2–6 in.). Stem erect, unbranhed, hairy.
- Flower: Almost regular, 5–7 mm (0.2–0.3 in.) across. Petals 4, united, deep or palish blue, corolla wheel-shaped, with a short tube. Sepals 4, united. Stamens 2. Pistil formed from 2 fused carpels. Inflorescence a hemispherical terminal raceme.
- Leaves: Opposite. Short-stalked or stalkless, ovate – elliptic to lanceolate, with entire or shallowly toothed margins.
- Fruit: A brown, oval capsule with the persistent style attached at a slight apical notch. Fruit (6 mm) longer than calyx.
- Habitat: Damp, lush brooksides and stream margins, shady cliffs, snow-bed sites, dry riverside gravels.
- Flowering time: July–August.
The alpine speedwell is a perennial with a rather erect stem. It is a plant of the northern, humid, oceanic climate. It can occur at elevations of up to 2,000 m (ca. 6,500 ft.) in meadows and damp places such as snow-bed sites.
In Finland, the alpine speedwell is divided into two subspecies. In ssp. alpina (the type) the capsule and the lower surface of leaves subtending flowers are hairless. In ssp. polita those parts are hairy. The former has a somewhat deeper blue corolla than the latter. The alpine speedwell is a regionally endangered species.
