''Veronica arvensis'', common names: wall speedwell, corn speedwell, common speedwell, rock speedwell, field speedwell, is an annual flowering plant in the plantain family

Plantaginaceae Plantaginaceae, the plantain family, is a large, diverse family of flowering plants in the order Lamiales that includes common flowers such as snapdragon and foxglove. It is unrelated to the banana-like fruit also called "plantain." In older cl ...

. The species is a native European plant and a common weed in gardens, pastures, waste places and cultivated land.

Description

It is a hairy, erect to almost recumbent, annual herb, 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, 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 and shorter than the bracts. The fruit capsules are heart-shaped and shorter than the sepal-teeth. It flowers from April to October.

Distribution

It is native to

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

and

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

Growth

''Veronica arvensis'' plants go through changes in their germination due to temperature and light, furthermore explaining what controls the timing of growth in buried seed reserves. These weeds tend to germinate in consistent temperature ranges of 10 degrees Celsius to 15 degrees Celsius. If they do not make the first autumn cycle of growth, they can grow in the following spring. Overall, light is a major source to their survival and growth. In other words, they can grow in darkness, however they will remain dormant unless they get light.

Uses

It is a

medicinal plant Medicinal plants, also called medicinal herbs, have been discovered and used in traditional medicine practices since prehistoric times. Plants synthesize hundreds of chemical compounds for various functions, including defense and protection ag ...

.''Veronica arvensis''
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Plants For A Future Plants For A Future (PFAF) is an online not for profit resource for those interested in edible and useful plants, with a focus on temperate regions. The organization's emphasis is on perennial plants, named after the phrase "plans for a future" as ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q157903 Flora of Africa Flora of Asia Flora of Europe Medicinal plants Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus arvensis