Veronica polita, the grey field-speedwell is a species of flowering plant in the Plantaginaceae (Plantain) family. It is native to Europe, southwestern Asia, North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and a few nearby countries, and has been introduced to many countries worldwide particularly as a weed of cultivation.[2]
| Veronica polita | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Plantaginaceae |
| Genus: | Veronica |
| Species: | V. polita
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| Binomial name | |
| Veronica polita | |
| Synonyms | |
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Description
editA sprawling, blue-flowered annual speedwell, with somewhat dull green, toothed leaves, broadest at the base. The flowers are smallish (4-8(12) mm diam), usually bold blue (though sometimes with a whitened lowermost part), and grow solitary on stalks emerging from the stem at the leaf stalk, the longest ones not clearly exceeding the leaves; they mature to form a fruit capsule whose two lobes are parallel, clothed with long and short hairs. The lower leaves are non-elongated in appearance, whilst the upper leaves are elongated.[3]
Similar species include Veronica agrestis (with fruit lacking short hairs, and leaves fresh green, the lowermost elongated) and Veronica persica (with flower stalks often much longer than the leaves, and the lobes of the fruit diverging like a 'V').[3]
Variants - P D Sell distinguishes var. polita with flowers 5–8 mm diameter, and var. grandiflora flowers 8–12 mm diam.[3]
Distribution and Habitat
editNative to Europe, southwestern Asia, North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and a few close by countries, introduced to many countries.[1]
Its habitat in Europe is cultivated ground.[4]
Its habitat in Turkey is bare soil in open forests, steppe, cultivated land, roadsides, 0–1800 m.[5]
Its habitat in North America is fields, ruderal places, calcareous soils, lawns, 0–600 m.[6]
Diseases
editIt is susceptible to downy mildew disease caused by the oomycete species Peronospora agrestis.[7]
Further reading
edit- "Veronica polita Fr., Grey Field-speedwell", the Fermanagh Species Account (Ireland)
References
edit- ^ a b Plants of the World Online (with map)
- ^ "Fermaugh Species Accounts (Veronica polita)".
- ^ a b c Peter Sell & Gina Murrell. Flora of Great Britain and Ireland, vol. 3, p. 472.
- ^ Tutin. Flora Europaea, vol. 3, p. 250.
- ^ Davis. Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, vol. 6, p. 720.
- ^ Flora of North America
- ^ Constantinescu, O. (1991). "An annotated list of Peronospora names". Thunbergia. 15.
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