VERONICA Linncei Gen. PL D iandria Mondgynia,
Cor. limbo 4-partito, lacinia infimH anguftiore. Capfula bilocularis.
RaiiSyn.Gen.1%. Herbie fructu sicco singulari flore monopetalo.
VERONICA arvenfis floribus folitariis, foliis cordatis incifis pedunculo longioribus. Lin. Syjl. Vegetab.
;p, 57. Sp'. PL p* l8.
VERONICA caule ereCto, foliis ovatis, fubhirfutis, dentatis ; petiolis breviffimis. Haller, hjji. helv. n. 548.
VERONICA arvenfis. Scopoli. Flor. Carniol. p. 18.
ALSINE veronica foliis, flofculis cauliculis adharentibus. Bauh'rn. Pin. 250.
ALSINE foliis Veronica. Gerard, emac. 613.
ALSINE foliis fubrotundis Veronica. Parkinfon. 762.
VERONICA flofculis fmgularibus cauliculis adharentibus. Rail Syn. p. 279, Speedwell Chickweed.
Oeder.Fl. Dan. t. 515.
Hudfon FI. Angl. 6. ed. 2. 6..
Lightfoot. FI. Scot. p. 75.
RADIX annua, fibrofa.
CAULIS palmaris, ,aut dodrantalis, ereCtus, plerum-
que rampfusj fubinde fimplex, (rami alter-
natim oppoliti, adfcendentes,) teres, purpuraf-
cens, undique hirfutus.
FOLIA inferiora petiolata, hirfuta, fubcordata^ inferne
fape purpurea, obtufa, planiufcula, incifa,
quinquenervia, fuperiora feffilia, fubtortuofa.
FLORES pedunculis breviffimis infidentes, fpicati,
bradtaä lanceolatä fuffulti.
CALYX : Perianthium quadripartitum, laciniis
. ovato-lanceolatis, hirfutulis, hirfutie glandu-
lofa, duobus inferioribus duplo fere majoribus
• et longioribus, jig. 1.
COROLLA monopetala, fubrotata, coerulea, leviffimo
taftu decidua, tubus breviffimus, albus, limbus
quadripartitus, laciniis ovatis, infima an- .
guftiore, fig* 2.
STAMINA : Filament a duo, alba, medio craffiora,
corolla dimidio breviora: A nther.® fubcor-
datae, flavefcentes, fig^ 3.
f RO O T annual and fibrous.
STALK upright, from three to nine inches in height,
generally branched, now and then Ample,
(the branches alternately oppofite and afcend-
ing,) .round, purpliffi, and hirlute on every
fide.\ v ,
LEAVES on the bottom of the {talk Handing on foot-
ftalks, hirfute, fomewhat heart-fhaped, often
purple on the under fide, obtufe, flattiffi,
notched on the edges, having five ribs, the
..Tipper pnes feffile, and fomewhat twifted.
FLOWERS fitting on very ffiort foot-ftalks, ■ growing
in a fpike, fupported by a lanceolate floral-
leaf
C A L YX : a Perianthium deeply divided into four
fegments, which are oval, lanceolate, and
hairy; (the hairs terminated with glands ;)
the two lowermoH almoft twice as large and
long as the others, fig. 1.
COROLLA monopetalous, and fomewhat wheel-ffiaped,
of a blue colour, falling off on the lead; touch ;,
the tube very ffiort and white; the limb deeply
divided into four fegments, which are oval,
the lower one narroweft, fig. 2.
STAMINA: two white F ilaments thickeft in the
middle, half the length of the corolla : A n-,
ther-® fomewhat heart-fhaped, and yellowifli,
fig- 3- ’ :
PISTILLUM: Germen obcordatum, compreffum, | PISTILLUM: Germen inverfely heart-fliaped, flat-
•vifcofum, bafi glandule cindto : Stylus bre- ? tened, and vifcous, furrounded at bottom by
viffimus, albus, re£tus : Stigma craffum fub- | a gland : St y l e very ffiort, white, and ftrait;
truncatum, fig. 4. $ Stigma thick, with an appearance of being
I cut off, fig. 4.
PERICARPIUM: C apsula obcordata, comprefla, t SEED-VESSEL a heart-fhaped flattened C apsule,
pallide fufca, fig. 5, continens. | of a pale brown colour, fig.- 8, containing of
SEMINA circiter 14 ovata, comprefla, medio deprefla, | SEEDS about fourteen, which are oval and flat, with. •
fig- 6, 7. ^ a depreffiori in the middle, fig.. 6, 7.
AS the Veronica agrefiis grows chiefly in gardens and cultivated ground, fo this fpecies, which is nearly
allied to it, is moff commonly found on walls, alfb in fallow fields, and .on the borders of dry paftures.
, It flowers in April, and the feeds ripen in May.
The old botanifts, inattentive to the parts of fructification, diftinguifhed this andfome other fpecies of Veronica,
by the general name of Alfine. ’
Students are apt, as we have before obferved, to confound it with the agrefiis, from which it differs, in many
reipects: the ftalk in particular is upright; the flowers are nearly feffile; the feed-veflels are much fmaller, and
when ripe form a fpike.
It varies in fize from one to fix or eight inches: and on walls, the bottom leaves are. frequently obferved
to be purple.