Veronica persica Poir.
scrambling speedwell
Hairy, prostrate or semi-prostrate annual; stems many, decumbent, arising from near base, freely rooting at nodes, up to c. 70 cm long. Petioles to c. 1 cm long, usually shorter. Lamina 0.6-2.5 × 0.5-2 cm, ovate or broad-ovate, hairy, coarsely and irregularly crenate-serrate or serrate; base broad-cuneate, truncate or subcordate; apex obtuse to rounded. Fls axillary, solitary in axils of lvs similar to vegetative lvs; pedicels slender, > subtending lvs, to c. 4 cm long at fruiting, densely hairy. Calyx 5-7 mm long; lobes ovate-lanceolate to ± elliptic, ciliate, broad-cuneate to rounded at base, obtuse at apex. Corolla 10-15 mm diam.; 3 lobes bright blue; lowest lobe narrower, white to pale blue. Capsule c. 8 mm wide; lobes rounded, strongly divergent, sharply keeled, ± hairy. Seed broad-ellipsoid, strongly concave on 1 side, tuberculately ridged.
N.; S.: widespread in all districts; K. (local), C. (local).
C. and S. Europe, W. Asia 1867
Very common or abundant in arable land, waste open ground, roadsides, dry river beds, rough pastures and other open modified habitats.
FL Jan-Dec.
Scrambling speedwell is the commonest Veronica sp. in N.Z. and is sometimes the most prominent weed present in cultivated ground. It has also been recorded as V. tournefortii and V. buxbaumii in N.Z. and confused with V. agrestis (see under that sp.).
