4. Veronica beccabunga L. (European brooklime)

Pl. 490 h, i; Map 2235

Plants perennial, with rhizomes. Stems 10–60(–100) cm long, mostly prostrate to loosely ascending, more strongly ascending to erect only toward the tip, glabrous. Leaves all short-petiolate. Leaf blades (1–)2–4(–6) cm long, mostly 2–4 times as long as wide, elliptic to obovate or oblong-elliptic, mostly broadest at or above the midpoint, rounded or bluntly pointed at the tip, short-tapered to rounded at the base, not clasping the stems, the margins unlobed, flat, subentire or more commonly finely scalloped, the surfaces glabrous. Inflorescences axillary racemes, these usually in opposite pairs at the stem nodes (1 per leaf), open at maturity, with 10–20 flowers, the bracts 2–5 mm long, much smaller than the foliage leaves, linear. Flower stalks 3–6 mm long at flowering (to 8 mm long at fruiting), spreading to loosely ascending at flowering, but mostly spreading at a right angle to the axis at fruiting. Calyces 2.5–4.0 mm long, the lobes slightly unequal, the upper 2 lobes slightly shorter than the lower 2 lobes, deeply 4-lobed, the lobes lanceolate or oblong-oblanceolate, glabrous. Corollas 5–7 mm wide, pale blue to blue or purplish blue with darker veins (rarely pinkish-tinged), the throat white or sometimes pale greenish-tinged at the base, the lobes spreading to loosely cupped upward. Style 1.8–2.2 mm long at fruiting. Fruits 2.0–3.5 mm long, slightly wider than long, depressed obovate to more or less circular in profile, somewhat turgid, the notch very shallow, the surfaces and margins glabrous, usually dehiscing both along and between the sutures into 4 valves. Seeds numerous, 0.3–0.7 mm long, strongly flattened on one side and convex on the other, the surfaces appearing smooth or slightly pebbled, light brown to yellowish brown. 2n=18, 36. June–September.

Introduced, uncommon, known thus far only from Ste. Genevieve County (native of Europe, Asia; introduced sporadically in the northeastern and western U.S.). Banks of streams and spring branches.

This taxon was first reported from Missouri by Yatskievych and Summers (1991). It is morphologically similar to V. americana, but differs markedly in its more spreading habit and in its relatively thick and almost succulent stems and leaves.