Veronica serpyllifolia L.

Thymeleaf speedwell (en), Véronique à feuilles de serpolet (fr), Véronique à feuilles de Serpolet (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Lamiales > Plantaginaceae > Veronica

Characteristics

Rhizomatous perennial; stems 1–3 dm, finely and closely puberulent, tending to creep at base or to produce prostrate lower branches, otherwise simple; lvs mostly opposite, elliptic to broadly ovate, 1–2.5 × 0.5–1.5 cm, rounded to acutish, glabrous to nearly so, slightly toothed or entire; fls pedicellate in elongating terminal racemes, at least the upper bracts generally alternate; cor 4–8 mm wide; style 2–3.5 mm; fr finely and sometimes sparsely glandular-hairy, evidently notched, 3–4 mm, broader than high; seeds numerous, under 1 mm; 2n=14. Nearly cosmopolitan. May–Aug. Var. serpyllifolia, native of Europe, and established in fields, meadows, and lawns throughout our range, or even appearing native in open woods, has pale fls with blue lines, finely and closely puberulent pedicels, and filaments 1–2.5 mm. Var. humifusa (Dicks.) M. Vahl, irregularly distributed in moist woods and alpine meadows, and native in our range from N.S. and n. N.Y. to n. Mich. and n. Minn., has bright blue fls, the pedicels with some spreading, viscid or glandular hairs, the filaments 2–4 mm. (V. humifusa; V. tenella)
More
Perennial with shortly decumbent vegetative shoots, rooting at nodes and often forming mats; flowering stems ± erect and ascending to c. 25 cm, puberulent. Petioles very short. Lamina 5-17 × 4-15 mm, broadly ovate, broadly elliptic or orbicular, glabrous, slightly crenulate; base and apex ± rounded. Infl. a narrow, elongated, terminal raceme; peduncle and pedicels puberulent; pedicels 2-6 mm long; lower bracts leaflike; upper bracts becoming smaller and narrower, oblong, entire, > pedicels. Calyx 2-3 mm long; lobes elliptic or ovate-elliptic, glabrous or almost so, obtuse. Corolla c. 8 mm diam., white or very pale blue, with fine dark blue veins. Capsule c. 4 mm wide, obcordate, sometimes ciliolate; nerves inconspicuous. Seeds oblong to ellipsoid, strongly flattened.
A herb. The stems are 10-30 cm long. They are finely hairy and form roots at the nodes. The leaves can have some teeth around the edge. The lower leaves do not have hairs. They are 1-2.5 cm long by 4-8 mm wide. They have stalks and the leaves are saucer shaped. The fruit are notched capsules.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread barochory
Mature width (meter) 0.1 - 0.5
Mature height (meter) 0.1 - 0.23
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) 0.1
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It is a temperate plant. It grows in meadows and woodlands. In China it grows in mountain meadows between 400-4,700 m above sea level. In Argentina it grows below 500 m above sea level. In Sichuan and Yunnan.
Light 4-9
Soil humidity -
Soil texture 3-4
Soil acidity 2-8
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 5-9

Usage

Uses medicinal
Edible leaves
Therapeutic use Cough Medicine (unspecified), Dermatological Aid (unspecified), Ear Medicine (unspecified), Febrifuge (unspecified), Cancer (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by divisions or seedlings.
Mode divisions seedlings
Germination duration (days) 15 - 30
Germination temperacture (C°) 21
Germination luminosity light
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Veronica serpyllifolia habit picture by Patrice Bracquart (cc-by-sa)
Veronica serpyllifolia habit picture by Pierre LEON (cc-by-sa)
Veronica serpyllifolia habit picture by Sylvain Piry (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Veronica serpyllifolia leaf picture by Judith Judith Goossens (cc-by-sa)
Veronica serpyllifolia leaf picture by Martin Bishop (cc-by-sa)
Veronica serpyllifolia leaf picture by Wilco Verhoog (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Veronica serpyllifolia flower picture by Karla Borecky (cc-by-sa)
Veronica serpyllifolia flower picture by Marysia Kay (cc-by-sa)
Veronica serpyllifolia flower picture by Gradwohl Markus (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Veronica serpyllifolia fruit picture by Pierre LEON (cc-by-sa)
Veronica serpyllifolia fruit picture by Sylvain Piry (cc-by-sa)
Veronica serpyllifolia fruit picture by nicolas pecqueux (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Veronica serpyllifolia world distribution map, present in Albania, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Brazil, Bhutan, Canada, Switzerland, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Algeria, Ecuador, Spain, Estonia, Finland, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), France, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Georgia, Greece, Greenland, Croatia, Hungary, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iceland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Sri Lanka, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Mexico, North Macedonia, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Pakistan, Peru, Poland, Korea (Democratic People's Republic of), Portugal, Réunion, Romania, Russian Federation, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, United States of America, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), and South Africa

Conservation status

Veronica serpyllifolia threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:812650-1
WFO ID wfo-0000425204
COL ID 5B7CQ
BDTFX ID 71348
INPN ID 129003
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Veronica capensis Cardia officinalis Veronica bolivari Veronica borealis Veronica bungabecca Veronica alpestris Veronicastrum serpyllifolium Veronica serpyllifolia Veronica neglecta Veronica riederiana Veronica ruderalis Veronica funesta Veronica rugulosella Veronica villosiuscula Veronica microphylla Veronica nummulariifolia Veronica integerrima Cardia multiflora Veronica wolffiana Veronica serpyllifolia subsp. neomexicana Veronica serpyllifolia subsp. serpyllifolia Veronica serpyllifolia var. serpyllifolia Veronica serpyllifolia subsp. trichocaulis Veronica serpyllifolia var. alpestris