Veronica persica
Buxbaums’s Speedwell
Scrophulaceae
January to December
It is found throughout the country.
See the BSBI distribution map for Common Field
Common Field-speedwell is a neophyte, which was
first seen in the wild in the 1820s and spread
throughout the country in the l9th century.
It is classed as an alien weed of arable land, but is
found on wasteland and pretty well everywhere.
Common Field-speedwell is an annual, low sprawling
herb, growing up to 60cm.
The flowers are up to 12mm across and there are
4 petals.
Three are blue with dark lines and the 4th is paler
and slightly smaller.
There are 2 stamens with white anthers and one
pink style with a white capitate stigma.
Sepals are hairy and spreading.
It is self-fertile and produces large numbers of
long-lasting seeds, which can germinate at any time
of the year.
It also spreads vegetatively from bits of stem.
The leaves are short-stalked, light green, up to 3cm,
and triangular-ovate with rounded teeth.
The stems are hairy and branched at the base.
Field guides call the branches ‘decumbent’, which
means that they lie on the ground and tend to
turn up at the end.
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Next page: Common Whitlowgrass
Common Field-speedwell, West Dorset
Flowers showing smaller pale petal
Close-up of flower - one pale petal
Close-up of newly open flower - 2 stamens
with white anthers, a pink style with a
capitate stigma, hairy sepals
Spreading sepals and leaves
Leaves
Prostrate habit and decumbent stems
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