Veronica T riphyllos. T rifid Speedwell.
VERONICA. Linn. Gen. PI. D iandria Mönogynia.
Cor. Limbo 4-partito, Iacinia infimà-anguftiore. Cap/, bilocularis.
Raii Syn. Gen. 18. Herbæ fructu sicco s in g u l a r ! flore monöpetalo.
VERONICA triphyllos floribus folitariis, foliis digitato pàrtitis, peduncujis calyce longioribus. Linn.
Syfi. Vegetal), ed. 14. Murr. p. 6b. Scop. FI. Cam-. ed. 2. n. 25. Hud/. Fl. Angl.
ed. 2. p. 7. triphylla. Flor. Suec. ed. 2. p. 7. :
VERONICA fôliis ovatis-j tnpartitis, et quinquepaftitis, floribus longe, petiolatis. Hall. Hiß. 551.
VERONICA -flofculis fingularibus, foliis laciniatis, ere6la-.' Raii Syn. ed. 3. p. 280. Upright Speedwell
■ with divided leaves.
•ALSINE triphyllos cærulea. Bauh. Pin. 250.
ALSINE parva reßa, folio- Alfines hederaceæ Rutæ modo divifö. Lob. icon. 464.
ALSINE re&a. Right Chickweede. Ger. Herb. p. 489. emac. p. 612. /. £.
ALSINE reÊla triphyllos, five laciniäta. Park. Th. p. 760. Upright Çhickweede with jagged leaves.
ALSINE reÊia flore cæruleo. Upright blew Chickweede. Park. Tb. p. 1260. / . 6.
ALSINE folio profunde fe&o, flore purpureo feu violaceo. I. B. 3. 367.
VERONICA folio Rutæ; Rivin. t. g6. •
RADIX annua, fibrofa. • §
CAULES plures, fubpalmares, ere&iufculi, teretes, 0
fuperne vifcidi, pallide virides, aut fubru- 9
bentes, pendente florefcentia fubnutantes. 1
FOLIA patentia, remotiüfcula, alterna et oppofita, 2
. crafliufcula, utrinque pilofa, fubtus fiepe ru- $
.bentia, inferiora coraato-ovata, breviflime 9
petiolata, fuperiora feffilia, digitato-quinque- 9
partita, et tripartita, laciniis cuneiformibus, |
intermedia maxima. 6
FLORES axillares, folitarii, faturate et fplendide cce- |
xulei ; Pedunculi foliis breyiores. 9
CALYX: Perianthium monophyllum, perfiftens, $
qüadripartitum, laciniis obovatis, foliis fu- A
prêtais plant« fimilibus, fig. 1. @
[ COROLLA monopetala, rotata, calyce minor; Tubus 9
breviflimus, albus; Limbus quadripartitus, 9
planus, laciniis- ovatis, infima anguftiore, huic 5
oppofita latiore, ßg.. 2. A
STAMINA: Filamenta duo, inferne anguftiora, 6
alba; A ntheræ oblongæ, coeruleæ,ßg-ß- |
PISTILLUM: G ermen compreflum; Stylus mi- ^
' formis, longitudine ftaminum; Stigma fim- V
plex, albidum, ßg. 4. A
;PFRICARPIUM : Capsula magna, obcordata. ^
SEMINA plurima, e fufco nigricantia, hinc convexa, f
gibba, rugofa, illinc concava. 9
ROOT annual, fibrous.
STALKS numerous, about a hand’s breadth high, nearly
upright, round, on the upper part vifcid, of
a pale green or reddifh colour, drooping a
little during the flowering period.
LEAVES fpreading, rather remote, alternate and
oppofite, thickilh, hairy on both fides, often
reddilh on the under fide, the lowermoft
heart-ihaped ovate, Handing on very fhort
footftalks, the upper ones feflile, fingered, or
divided deeply into five and three parts, the
fegments wedge-fliaped, the middle one very
large. ..
FLOWERS placed fingly in the bofoms of the leaves,
of a deep ana bright blue colour; Flower-
Jlalks fhorter than the leaves.
C A L YX : a Perianthium of one leaf, continuing,
deeply divided into four fegments, which are
obovate, and like the uppermoft leaves of
the plant, fig. 1.
COROLLA monopetalous, wheel-lhaped, fmaller than
the calyx; Tube very fhort and white; Limb
deeply divided into four fegments, flat, fegments
ovate, lowermoft one narrower, uppermoft
one broader than the reft, fig. 2.
STAMINA: two Filaments, narroweft below, white;
A n t h e r /e oblong, blue, fig,. 3.
PISTILLUM; G ermen flattened; Style filiform,
the length of the ftamina; Stigma Ample,
- whitifh, fig. 4..
SEED-VESSEL : a large Capsule, inverfely heart-
fhaped.
SEEDS numerous, of a blackifh brown colour, convex,
gibbous, and wrinkled on one fide,
hollow on the other.
The Veronica triphyllos, a plant common to moft parts of Europe, and chiefly found in corn-fields, where the
foil is light, is of very partial.growth in this country, and found principally in the counties of Norfolk* and
Suffolk ; we have received fpecimens of it from Sir T homas F r an k l an d ., gathered by him in York {hue.
It flowers very early in the fpring, in March» and April, and ripens its feeds in June, from thefe fpon-
taneoufly fcattered, young plants come up readily in autumn; in favourable foils this fpecies, like the hederi/olia
and agrefiis, feems much difpofed to become a weed; but, like them, is too trifling to be injurious.
I C. Bauh in e mentions two varieties of this Veronica, one with larger and thicker leaves, the other with
.fmaller ones; thefe fcarcely deferve the name of varieties: Haller obferves, that fix inches is the utmoff
, height of the plant, we have feen it much taller; the fummits of the flowering branches for the moft part bend
[fomewhat downwards, a peculiarity of the plant which we have not found noticed by authors.
[ This fpecies is too diftinft to be miftaken for any other Englifh one, its divided leaves, the deep rich blue
colour pf its flowers, and the largenefs of its feed-veffels obvioufly diftinguifh it.
[ Triphyllos, a name given to it by Tome of the old Botanifts, is not always applicable, the leaves in young
[plants particularly, being often divided into more than three' fegments.
* At Rowton in Norfolk, betwixt the town and the highway, twelve miles before y.ou, come to Norwich ; at Mewcl in Suffolk, between the
[two windmills and the warren-lodge; in the gravel-pits, two miles beyond Barton Mills, 'bn the ridge of the hill where a {mall cart-way croffeth
[the road to Lynn; and in the grals thereabouts, plentifully. T h. W illisel. Hay’s Syn..ed. 3. p. 280.