Images: ©Jouko Lehmuskallio
Thyme-leaved Speedwell
Veronica serpyllifolia
- Family: Figwort Family – Scrophulariaceae
- Height: 5–20 cm (2–8 in.). Stem erect-ascending, glabrous or hairy.
- Flower: Corolla slightly irregular (zygomorphic), 6–10 mm (0.2–0.4 in.) across, short-tubed, 4-lobed, white to pale or fairly deep blue. Calyx 4-lobed. Stamens 2. Pistil of 2 fused carpels. Flowers borne in alternating leaf axils as a racemose inflorescence.
- Leaves: Opposite. Short stalked to stalkless. Blade ovate to elliptic, hairy or not, with entire to shallowly toothed margins.
- Fruit: A flat, heart-shaped, hairy capsule.
- Habitat: Fields, ditches, shores, damp paths, springs, moist meadows.
- Flowering time: June–August.
The thyme-leaved speedwell is a low perennial with a creeping stem that roots at the nodes. It thrives on moist, grassy sites, such as ditches, puddles, boat harbours, and damp paths. It has been dispersed by man.
In Finland, two subspecies are recognised. The leaves of the northern ssp. humifusa are broadly ovate, and the flower is 7–10 mm wide. The type, ssp. serpyllifolia, is common in the southern parts of the country. It has narrowly elliptic, taper-pointed leaves, and its flower is 4–7 mm wide.
