Biology:Veronica americana

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Short description: Plant species in the veronica family

Veronica americana
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Plantaginaceae
Genus: Veronica
Species:
V. americana
Binomial name
Veronica americana
(Raf.) Schwein. ex Benth.
Synonyms[2]
  • Veronica crenatifolia Veronica anagallis
  • Veronica intermedia

Veronica americana, variously called American brooklime[3] or American speedwell,[3][4] is a flowering plant native to temperate and arctic Asia and North America[3] where it grows in streams and bottomlands.

It is a herbaceous perennial with glabrous stems 10–100 cm (4–40 in) long that bear terminal or axillary racemes or spikes of soft violet flowers. The leaves are 1.5–8 cm (0.6–3.1 in) long and 3 to 20 times as long as wide, short-petiolate, glabrous, serrate to almost entire.[5]

The plant can be confused with Scutellaria (skullcap) and other members of the mint family. Members of the mint family have square sided stems, and Veronica species have rounded stems.[6]

Taxonomy

In 1830 Constantine Samuel Rafinesque described a variety of Veronica beccabunga he named americana. The botanist George Bentham raised to species status in a publication published in 1846 where he credited Lewis David de Schweinitz, giving the taxa its accepted name. It is classified in the genus Veronica which is part of the Plantaginaceae family. It does not have any accepted varieties or forms, but there are three among its eight synonyms.[2]

Table of Synonyms
Name Year Rank Notes
Veronica americana f. albiflora Tatew. ex H.Hara 1948 form = het.
Veronica americana var. crassula Rydb. 1900 variety = het.
Veronica americana f. rosea J.K.Henry 1917 form = het.
Veronica anagallis Bong. 1832 species = het.
Veronica beccabunga var. americana Torr. 1843 variety = het., nom. illeg.
Veronica beccabunga var. americana Raf. 1830 variety ≡ hom.
Veronica crenatifolia Greene 1903 species = het.
Veronica intermedia Schwein. 1824 species = het., nom. illeg.
Notes: ≡ homotypic synonym; = heterotypic synonym

Uses

American speedwell is used both as food and as a medicinal plant. It is rich in nutrients and is reported to have a flavor similar to that of watercress.[7] As long as the water source is not contaminated, the entire plant (sans roots) can be eaten raw.[8]

References

  1. ↑ Maiz-Tome, L. (2016). "Veronica americana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 POWO (2026). "Veronica americana (Raf.) Schwein. ex Benth." (in en). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/taxon/316066-2. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 {{citation | mode = cs1 | title = Veronica americana | work = Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) | url = | publisher = [[Organization:Agricultural Research ServAgricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) | access-date = 2008-03-30 }}
  4. ↑ "Veronica americana Schwein. ex Benth.". PLANTS Profile. United States Department of Agriculture; Natural Resources Conservation Service. https://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=VEAM2. 
  5. ↑ "Veronica americana". WTU Herbarium Image Collection. Burke Museum, University of Washington. http://biology.burke.washington.edu/herbarium/imagecollection.php?Genus=Veronica&Species=americana. 
  6. ↑ Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West, Gregory L. Tilford, ISBN 0-87842-359-1
  7. ↑ Reiner, Ralph E. (1969). Introducing the Flowering Beauty of Glacier National Park and the Majestic High Rockies. Glacier Park, Inc.. p. 96. 
  8. ↑ Nyerges, Christopher (2017). Foraging Washington: Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Edible Wild Foods. Guilford, CT: Falcon Guides. ISBN 978-1-4930-2534-3. OCLC 965922681. 

Further reading

Wikidata ☰ Q2074744 entry



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