Genus Veronica L.
Род 707 (11). ВЕЛИКДЕНЧЕ — VERONICA L.¹
L., Sp. Pl. ed. 1 (1753) 9; Gen. Pl. ed. 5 (1754) 10Fam: Scrophulariaceae Juss.
Genus: Veronica L.
English Name: Speedwell, Bird's eye, and GypsyweedDescription:
Perennial herbaceous plants, rarely small shrubs or semi-shrubs with rhizome or one main root with numerous branches. Stems herbaceous or at the base woody, single or branched from the base, erect, rising, creeping, often rooting, round, glabrous or covered with simple, glandular or mixed - simple and glandular, hairs, varying in density towards the tip on the stem, grouped in 2 lines or even scattered. Leaves sessile or on petioles, successive or opposite, leaf blades narrowly linear or lance, ovate to heart-shaped, entire or serrated, irregularly cut, simple to trifple feathery-like, glabrous, only on one or both sides with simple , glandular or mixed - simple and glandular, hairs, often with small three-celled glands. Inflorescences racemose, thyroid or head-like, mainly apical, secondary lateral or apical and lateral; in annual flowers single in the axils of the leaves, rarely at the apex. Bracts leaf-like, small at the apex or absent. Flower petioles straight, deflected at an angle or flowers sessile. Calyx 4-part or 5-part, bilaterally symmetrical, both shares larger, growing after flowering; shares lance, elliptical to heart-shaped, not fused. The axis of the inflorescence, bracts, petioles and calyx covered with simple, glandular or mixed - simple and glandular, hairs or glabrous. Corolla round, 4 or 5 unequal, rounded or pointed at the apex, reddish, pink, light to dark blue, whitish to white petals, at the base barely fused into a wider than its length, short or almost missing tube. Stamens 2 attached to the wall or to the base of the flower tube, exceeding it or shorter than it. The style with head-like stigma, exceeding, equal to or shorter than the cut. Fruit flat or biconvex, triangular, spherical, heart-shaped, with a narrowed or rounded base box, cut at the top to varying degrees and at different angles, smooth on the surface or streaked to varying degrees; covered with simple, glandular, mixed - simple and glandular, hairs or glabrous; from two to many-seeded; nesting or septal cracking. Seeds flat, concave, concavely convex to goblet-shaped, in the latter with a fatty body (eleiosis) in the middle, smooth, wavy wrinkled to warty, often covered with a slippery surface layer of moisture. Insect pollinated plants; propagated by seeds and vegetatively.
Economic significance. Some of the species are used in folk medicine. Annual species develop en masse as weeds in agricultural crops, but also play the role of green manure. Some species with pinnate leaves are grown as ornamentals.
Table for determinination of the species
1 Perennials ............................................................................................................................................................................ 2
1* Annual plants .............................................. ....................................................................................................................... 19
2 Inflorescences always only apical, glabrous or racemose .................................................................................................... 3
2* Inflorescences lateral, apical and lateral; very rarely clustered, subsequently elongated ..................................................... 7
3 Stems at the base woody - small semi-shrubs ...................................................................................................................... 4
3* Herbaceous stems ................................................................................................................................................................ 6
4 Inflorescence head-like; leathery leaves ........................................................................... 3. - V. kellererii Deg. and Urum.
4* Inflorescence loose raceme; herbaceous leaves ................................................................................................................... 5
5 Corolla pink, with a yellow ring in the hole ............................................................................................ - V. fruticulosa L.
5* Corolla dark blue, in the middle with a light spot, outlined with a reddish circle ……........................... - V. fruticans Jacq.
6 Basal leaves in a rosette; plants with glandular hairs and small three-celled glands ........................... 2. - V. bellidioides L.
6* Basal leaves successive; plants with simple hairs ......................................................................................... 1. - V. alpina L.
7 Plants completely fibrous .................................................................................................................................................... 8
7* Plants glabrous or with single three-celled glands, very rarely under the inflorescence, along the axis of the inflorescence
and the flower parts with simple or glandular hairs ....................................................... 19 - 21. Group V. anagallis-aquatica
8 The base of the box is wedge-shaped narrowed ................................................................................................................... 9
8* The base of the box is rounded ............................................................................................................................................ 10
9 Leaves double or triple pinnate; stem covered with simple adjacent, thickening hairs under the inflorescence ....................... ........................................................................................................................................................................ 8. - V. multifida L.
9* Leaves entire; stem under the inflorescence with 2 lines of simple hairs .......... 9. - V. rhodopea (Vel.) Deg. ex Stoj. et Stef.
10 Calyx 5-part, very rarely 4-part ........................................................................................................................................ 11
10* The calyx is always 4-piece ............................................................................................................................................. 14
11 Leaves pinnate ....................................................................................................................................... 7. - V. austriaca L.
11* Leaves entire .................................................................................................................................................................... 12
12 The leaves leathery .............................................................................................................. 5. - V. turrilliana Stoj. et Stef.
12* Herbaceous leaves ........................................................................................................................................................... 13
13 Stems erect, with simple sparse or evenly distributed, dense, deviated hairs ....................................... 6. - V. teucrium L.
13* Stems creeping, rising at the top, with simple, close-fitting, straight or slightly curly hairs .................. 4. - V. prostrata L.
14 Stems creeping, ascending …………………………………........................................................……………………… 15
14* Stems erect ………………………………………….................................................………………………..………… 16
15 The box is back triangular, 3 - 4 mm long, 3 - 5 mm wide; stem with mixed simple and glandular hairs ..............................
................................................................................................................................................................... 17. - V officinalis L.
15* The box is oval, flattened on both sides, 3 - 3.5 mm long, 2.5 - 2.8 mm wide; stem at base with simple hairs, thickening
at the inflorescence …............................................................................................... 18. - V. baumgartenii Roem. and Schult.
16 The heart-shaped box; leaves herbaceous, mostly ovate, irregularly яеииьшеа to chopped; flowers blue to light blue,
with darker veins or white ……............................................................................................ 10 — 13. Group V. chamaedrys
16* The box is kidney-shaped or with wide, rounded shares; leaves mostly back ovoid, sharply serrated to large or rounded
toothed; flowers pink or white, whitish, light blue ................................................................................................................. 17
17 Leaves lance to narrowly lance, with diluted single teeth along the edge, glabrous; corolla white ............................……
.................................................................................................................................................................. 15. - V. scutellata L.
17* Leaves ovate to back ovoid, bach heart-like, ovate-lance, large or rounded toothed, covered with simple or glandular
hairs ........…………………………….................................................................................................…………………..… 18
18 Leaves back ovoid to bach heart-like, ovoid-lance, sharply serrated to large toothed, with simple hairs and single three
-celled glands; flowers light pink ......................................................................................................… 16. V. urticifolia Jacq.
18* Leaves rounded to ovoid, obtusely toothed, evenly covered with sparse glandular hairs, some with deciduous glands
The flowers are light blue to white or whitish ............................................................................................ 14. - V. montana L.
19 (1*) Flowers with bracts ……………………...................................................……………....…………………………. 20
19* Flowers without bracts, single in the recesses of the leaves ………......................................................….……………. 28
20 Seeds flat or obscurely paniculate, almost flat ………………….....................................................………...………… 21
20* Seeds clearly paniculate, concavely convex ……………………......................................................………….………. 25
21 Upper stem leaves feathery-like or round toothed; the surface of the seeds is slightly wavy .......................……..…….. 22
21* Upper stem leaves entire; the surface of the seeds slightly warty to smooth ……........................................................... 24
22 Plants just fibrous .............................................. .................................................................... 30. - V. grisebachii Walters
22* Plants mixed - simple and glandular, fibrous …………………….......................................................…...……………. 23
23 Flowers almost sat down or on very short petioles; the wreath does not exceed the calyx .................. 28. - V. arvensis L.
23* The flowers of the petioles; corolla longer than calyx .............................................................................. 29. - V. verna L.
24 Leaves glabrous, fleshy ………………………………………...................................................... 22. - V. serpyllifolia L.
24* Leaves on both sides glandular fibrous ……………………….......................................................… 23. - V. acinifolia L.
25 Flower petioles longer than the calyx, deflected at right angles ...................................................................................... 26
25* Flower petioles shorter than the calyx, deviating less ...................................................................................................... 27
26 Plants are simply fibrous; the box naked ………………......................................................... 27. - V. glauca Sibth. et Sm.
26* Plants glandular fibrous; the box is glandular …………........................................................... 26. - V. aznavourii Dörfler
27 The basal and middle leaves are always wntire, rarely the upper three-part; bracts leaf-like, lance, rarely some feathery
-like, reddish below ................................................................................................................................... 24. - V. praecox All.
27* Basal leaves; the middle and upper ones are always feathery-like; bracts feathery-like, green below .................................
.................................................................................................................................................................... 25. - V. triphyllos L.
28 Seeds goblet-shaped, 1.8 - 3.5 mm in diameter …...…………....................................................................................... 29
28* Seeds strongly paniculate, not goblet-shaped …………………....................................................................................... 30
29 Calyx ovate, rounded at the apex …………..………….......................................................... 36. - V. cymbalaria Bodard
29* Calyx shares back heart-shaped, pointed at the apex to triangular ………….................... 33 - 35. Group - V. hederifolia
30 Corolla 8 - 15 mm wide; the box reticulate, only glandular along the edge; the cutout of the box is obtuse ......................... .................................................................................................................................................................. 32. - V. persica Poir.
30* Corolla 3 - 7 mm wide; the box vaguely veined, completely mixed - simple and glandular, fibrous; the cutout of the box
is acute ....................................................................................................................................................... 31. - V. polita Fries
¹ Developed by D. Peev.From: „Флора на Република България”, том X, Академично издателство „Проф. Марин Дринов”, Б А Н,
София, (1995)* * * * *
Veronica is the largest genus in the flowering plant family Plantaginaceae, with about 500 species; it was formerly classified in the family Scrophulariaceae. Common names include speedwell, bird's eye, and gypsyweed.
Taxonomy for this genus is currently being reanalysed, with the genus Hebe and the related Australasian genera Derwentia, Detzneria, Chionohebe, Heliohebe, Leonohebe and Parahebe now included by many botanists.[2][3] Monophyly of the genus is supported by nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and cpDNA.[4]
The taxa of the genus are herbaceous annuals or perennials, and also subshrubs, shrubs or small trees if Hebe is included. Most of the species are from the temperate Northern Hemisphere, though with some species from the Southern Hemisphere; Hebe is mostly from New Zealand.Etymology
The genus name Veronica used in binomial nomenclature was chosen by Carl Linnaeus based on preexisting common usage of the name veronica in many European languages for plants in this group. Such use in English is attested as early as 1572.[5] The name probably reflects a connection with Saint Veronica, whose Latin name is ultimately derived from Greek, Berenice.[6]
Food and medicine
Veronica americana is edible and nutritious, as are most species in the genus Veronica, and is reported to have a flavor similar to watercress. Native Americans used Veronica species as an expectorant tea to alleviate bronchial congestion associated with asthma and allergies.[according to whom?] The plant can be confused with skullcap and other members of the mint family. Members of the mint family have square sided stems, and Veronica species have rounded stems.[7]
Veronica sp. herb has been used in the traditional Austrian medicine internally (as tea) for treatment of disorders of the nervous system, respiratory tract, cardiovascular system, and metabolism.[8]Ground cover
Several Veronica species and cultivars are cultivated for use as ground cover.[9]
As weeds
Several species of speedwell are sometimes considered weeds in lawns.[10] Some of the more common of these are Persian speedwell (V. persica),[11] creeping speedwell (V. filiformis),[12] corn speedwell (V. arvensis),[13] germander speedwell (V. chamaedrys), and ivy-leaved speedwell (V. hederifolia). It is often difficult to tell one species from another. There are five to seven species of speedwell in Michigan alone that are easily confused.[12]
Ecology
Species of Veronica are used as food plants by the larvae of some species of Lepidoptera, including the grizzled skipper.
An annual life history is known to have evolved separately several times within the genus, with up to 10% of the genus now having an annual life cycle.[14] An annual life cycle, and associated morphological traits, is an adaptation thought to have developed in response to an extremely arid or generally unpredictable environment, and may persist in Veronica due to a historic concentration and radiation of members of the genus in and from the climatically volatile Balkan Peninsula.[14]
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia * * * * *
References: „Флора на Република България”, том X, Академично издателство „Проф. Марин Дринов”, Б А Н, София, (1995), Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaDistribution in Bulgaria: (Conspectus of the Bulgarian Vascular Flora) = conspectus&gs_l= Zlc.
Distribution:
SPECIES:
Veronica austriaca ssp. jacquinii (Baumg.) Maly - not found a common name
Veronica chamaedrys L. - Germander speedwell, Bird’s eye speedwell or Cat’s eyes
Veronica kellererii Deg. et Urum. - not found a common name
Veronica teucrium L. - Broadleaf speedwell, Large speedwell, Austrian speedwell
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