American Speedwell
Veronica americana
American Speedwell (Veronica americana) is a native perennial of wet ground, with small light blue to lavender flowers in loose, stalked clusters that rise from the upper leaf joints. It grows along streams, seeps and ponds and is on a plant checklist from the Black Hills; in nearby Minnesota it blooms May into October. Photographed in the Black Hills.
| Family | Plantaginaceae · Plantain |
|---|---|
| Status | Native perennial |
| Blooms | May into October |
| Height | 10–50 cm (4–20 in) |
| Where | Stream banks, seeps, swamps and pond edges, often partly in the water |
| Also called | American Brooklime |
| Synonym | Veronica beccabunga var. americana |
Roots, seeds & germination
Root: Creeping rhizomes (underground stems). The stems also root at the leaf joints.
Seed: A hairless, two-lobed capsule, 3–4 mm long and wide, holds many tiny seeds up to 0.5 mm long.
How do you identify American Speedwell?
Look for hairless, opposite leaves on short stalks, and a stem that often roots where it touches wet ground. Each cluster holds 10 to 15 stalked flowers, ¼ to ⅓ inch across, with four pale petals streaked darker and white at the base; three petals are about equal and one is smaller. Water Speedwell (Veronica catenata), not in this guide, is very similar but its leaves have no stalks.
When does it bloom?
May into October.
Where does it grow?
Wet places in part shade to sun: swamps, seeps, stream banks and ponds. It favors slow-moving streams, often grows partly underwater, and spreads into colonies.
Other flowers to compare
Sources: Minnesota Wildflowers: Veronica americana (American Speedwell); Go Botany, Native Plant Trust: Veronica americana; A Survey of the Vegetation of Jewel Cave National Monument, with vascular plant checklist (Marriott and Hartman, 1986).