veronica arvensis
{{Short description|Species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae}}
{{Speciesbox
|image = 20190604Veronica arvensis1.jpg
|genus = Veronica
|species = arvensis
|authority = L.
}}
Veronica arvensis, common names: wall speedwell,{{cite book|last1=Stace|first1=Clive|author-link = Clive Stace|title=New Flora of the British Isles|date=April 2010| issue=3|publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9780521707725}}{{rp|592}} corn speedwell, common speedwell, rock speedwell,[https://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=VEAR Veronica arvensis] at [http://plants.usda.gov USDA PLANTS Database] field speedwell,Popay I., Champion P. & James T. (2010). An Illustrated Guide to Common Weeds of New Zealand, Third edition. p. 286. New Zealand Plant Protection Society (Inc.), Christchurch, New Zealand. {{ISBN|978-0-473-16285-6}}. is an annual flowering plant in the plantain family Plantaginaceae. The species is native to Europe and a common weed in gardens, pastures, waste places, and cultivated land.
Description
It is a hairy, erect to almost recumbent, annual herb, {{convert|9|to|40|cm}} high from a taproot. The leaves are oppositely arranged in pairs about the stem. The lower leaves have short petioles; the upper are sessile. Each leaf, {{convert|1.5|to|2.5|cm}} in length, is ovate, or triangular with a truncated or slightly cordate base, with coarse teeth. Borne in a raceme, initially compact but elongating with age, the flowers are pale blue to blue-violet, 2 to 3 mm in diameter, four-lobed with a narrow lowest lobe. Flower stalks are {{convert|0.5|to|2|mm}} and shorter than the bracts. The fruit capsules are heart-shaped and shorter than the sepal-teeth. It flowers from April to October.
Photographic examples can be seen on [https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/55748/browse_photos?quality_grade=research iNaturalist].
Similar species - V. arvensis has stem leaves incised rather than well-lobed; similar species include Veronica verna, which has well-lobed stem leaves but when they are few, the plant as a whole can resemble V. arvensis.
Distribution
It is native to Africa, Asia and Europe.[http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/tax_search.pl?Veronica%20arvensis Veronica arvensis] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924131203/http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/tax_search.pl?Veronica%20arvensis |date=2015-09-24 }} at [http://www.ars-grin.gov Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN)]
Growth
Veronica arvensis plants go through changes in their germination{{cite journal|last1=Baskin|first1=Jerry|last2=Baskin|first2=Carol|title=Germination Ecology of Veronica arvensis|journal=Journal of Ecology|date=March 1983|volume=71|issue=1|pages=57–68|doi=10.2307/2259963|jstor=2259963|bibcode=1983JEcol..71...57B }} due to temperature and light that control the timing of growth in buried seed reserves. These plants tend to germinate in consistent temperature ranges of 10 degrees Celsius to 15 degrees Celsius.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}} If they do not make the first autumn cycle of growth, they can grow in the following spring.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}
Uses
It is a medicinal plant.
Uses (Ethnobotany):
The herb is alterative, antiscorbutic and diuretic. It has been used for the treatment of scurvy, impurities of the blood etc. It is also used as a remedy for scrofulous affections, especially of the skin, and is bruised and applied externally for healing burns and ulcers. {{cite web |title=North Carolina Extension Gardener (V. arvensis) |url=https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/veronica-arvensis/#:~:text=The%20herb%20is%20alterative%2C%20antiscorbutic,for%20healing%20burns%20and%20ulcers.}}
Further reading
- [https://fermanagh.bsbi.org/veronica-arvensis-l Farmanagh Species Account] - Biological account from Farmanagh, Ireland
- [http://floranorthamerica.org/Veronica_arvensis Flora of North America] - Botanical description
References
{{Commons|Veronica arvensis}}
{{Reflist}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q157903}}
Category:Flora of temperate Asia