Veronica anagallis-aquatica L.

First published in Sp. Pl.: 12 (1753)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Temp. Eurasia to Tropical Mountains. It is an annual or subshrub and grows primarily in the temperate biome.

Descriptions

M. Thulin. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1–4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Distribution
Widespread in temperate regions of the world including also various tropical African montane areas.
Morphology General Habit
Annual or perennial herb, up to 50 cm or more tall; stems erect, hollow, glabrous or glandular-pubescent
Morphology Leaves
Leaves ovate-lanceolate, 30–100 x 10–30 mm, the lower subentire, shortly petiolate, the upper ± serrate, sessile with somewhat clasping base
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Axillary racemes many-flowered, lax, mostly longer than subtending leaf; pedicels 3.5–7 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 2–3.5 mm long, deeply 4-lobed
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla blue to pale lilac, 4–6 mm in diam. Style 1.5–2.5 mm long
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule almost orbicular, 3–4 x 2.5–3.5 mm.
[FSOM]

Scrophulariaceae, S.A. Ghazanfar, F.N. Hepper & D. Philcox. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 2008

Type
Lectotype: Europe, Herb. Linn. No.5.7 (S) designated by Fischer in F.R. 108: 115 (1977)
Morphology General Habit
Perennial herb usually 30–120 cm high, ± aquatic.
Morphology Stem
Stems erect, ± quadangular, simple or well-branched, sometimes rooting at the base, hollow, glabrous to sparsely glandular-pubescent
Morphology Leaves
Leaves linear-lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, the lower broader than upper ones, ± sessile and amplexicaul, 2–8(–10) cm long, up to 3 cm wide, margins irregularly serrate near the apex, glabrous
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescence lateral with flowers numerous in long racemes at most axils, up to 3 times as long as subtending leaves; pedicels in fruit 3–4 mm long, filiform, spreading or curved upwards, sparsely glandular-pubescent
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx-segments oblong, 3 mm long in fruit, subacute
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla blue with violet veins to white with reddish veins, ± 5 mm in diameter
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule about as long as calyx, elliptical, glabrous, sinus obscure; persistent style much longer than sinus.
Ecology
In permanent wet places with shallow running water; 480–2400 m
Conservation
Least Concern (LC); widespread and common
Note
This species belongs to the Section Beccabunga which consists of a group of similar species, but in East Africa apparently only represented by V. anagallis-aquatica. The species is considerably variable in its vegetative characters probably depending on the wetness of its habitat. This is shown by the gradation from tall, lush plants in rich muddy places to much smaller ones growing in drying mud nearby.
Distribution
Range: Widespread in upland tropical Africa, SW Arabia, and almost throughout the northern temperate zones Flora districts: U3 K1 K3 K4 K6 K7 T1 T2 T5
[FTEA]

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/164036/1019922

Conservation
LC - least concern
[IUCN]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Uses

Use
None recorded on specimens from our area
[FTEA]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of Somalia

    • Flora of Somalia
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • IUCN Categories

    • IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Science Photographs

    • Copyright applied to individual images

  • World Checklist of Vascular plants (WCVP)

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0