VERONICA CYMBALARIA

Including Veronica trichadena

Family and Genus:- See- PLANTAGINACEAE/Sect. POCILLA

Common Names:- Cymbalaria-leaved speedwell, Pale speedwell.

Homotypic Synonyms:- Cochlidiosperma cymbalaria, Pocilla cymbalaria.

Meaning:- Veronica (L) For Saint Veronica, who wiped the sweat from Christ's

face.

Cymbalaria (L) Cymbal-like (reference to the leaves).

General description:- Slender annual, usually sparingly branched from the base

with decumbent stems.

Stems:-

1) Sparsely pilose 10-30 cm, broadly ovate, ± procumbent, the entire cotyledons

often retained at anthesis.

Leaves:-

1) Rather long-petiolate, all but the lowermost alternate, the lowest opposite.

2) Blade, 6-18 mm, broadly ovate to orbicular or reniform, shallowly lobed or

coarsely crenate, thin, light green, subglabrous.

3) Pedicels, much exceeding leaves.

Flowers:-

1) 4 petalled, solitary in the leaf axils.

2) Fruiting pedicels, exceeding thee subtending leaf, often patent or recurved.

3) Calyx segments, broadly elliptical to suborbicular, patent in fruit.

4) Calyx teeth and capsule, with long and coarse, glandular and eglandular hairs up

to 2 mm.

5) Corolla, 6-10 mm in diam., white.

6) Sepals, cordate, at the the base.

7) Style, c. 1·5 mm.

Fruit:-

1) Capsule, c. 3 x 4 mm, shallowly 2-lobed, ciliate.

2) Seeds, c. 4, large, (2-2.5 mm), subglobose, deeply excavate on one side.

Key features:-

1) Flowers, in terminal racemes (sometimes also in axillary racemes below the

terminal) or solitary in leaf-axils.

2) Stems, ± procumbent.

3) Seeds, at least 2 mm.

4) Leaves, 5- to 9-lobed.

5) Calyx-segments, obovate, obtuse.

6) Capsule, ciliate.

Click here for a glossary of terms used.

Habitat:- Gravelly beaches, culitaved and fallow fields, rock ledges in gorges,

orchards, stone walls of buildings. 0-800 m. occasionally to 1500 m. in dolines.

Distribution:- Widespread in the Mediterranean regiom. Widespread and common

on Crete.

Flowering time:- Mainly Mar-May.

Photos by:- Steve Lenton

VERONICA TRICHADENA

Synonyms:- Cochlidiosperma trichadena, Veronica cymbalaria subsp.

trichadena.

Meaning:- Trichodena (Gr) With hairy glands.

Resembling Veronica cymbalaria, but differering in the following characters.

1) Generally smaller.

2) Leaf blade 6-13 mm, shallowly crenate to subentire, usually glandular-pubescent.

3) Fruiting pedicels scarcely exceeding the subtending leaf.

4) Calyx segments shortly glandular-pubescent.

5) Capsule with glandular and eglandular hairs, generally less than 1 mm.

Habitat:- Rocky slopes, gorges, cliff ledges, field margins. (200-)500-1200 m.

Distribution:- Scattered in the Mediterranean region from the Balearic Islands to

SW Anatolia. Rare on Crete known from only a few locations in the Sitia area and

two elsewhere.

Flowering time:- Mar-June

Photos by:- Fotis Samaritakis