Veronica filiformis
Common names
creeping speedwell
Biostatus
Exotic
Category
Vascular
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites
Simplified description
Soft creeping herb, rooting at nodes; reniform hirsute leaves and crenate margins. Flowers on long pedicels (to 25 mm), pubescent; corolla c.12 mm diameter; calyx remaining after petal fall but fruit not developing in NZ.
Flower colours
Blue, Violet/Purple
Similar taxa
Flower similar to V. persica but plant creeping with reniform (not pointed) leaves. V. persica has abundant fruit with divergent capsule lobes.
Distribution
Very local in NZ, establishing from vegetative material only
Habitat
Lawns, gardens
Conservation status
Not applicable
Detailed taxonomy
Family
Plantaginaceae
Ecology
Fruiting
No fruit known in NZ
Year naturalised
1981
Origin
Asia Minor, Crimea, Caucasia, N. Iran
Reason for introduction
Maybe ornamental but probably accidental in soil with other plants
Propagation technique
rooted pieces
Other information
Etymology
veronica: Named after Saint Veronica, who gave Jesus her veil to wipe his brow as he carried the cross through Jerusalem, perhaps because the common name of this plant is ‘speedwell’. The name Veronica is often believed to derive from the Latin vera ‘truth’ and iconica ‘image’, but it is actually derived from the Macedonian name Berenice which means ‘bearer of victory’.
filiformis: From the Latin filum ‘thread’ and forma ‘shape’, meaning thread-shaped