Pronunciation: veh-RON-ih-kuh oh-fiss-ih-NAL-iss
A low, hairy perennial with opposite leaves and slender clusters of pale lavender-blue flowers. Also called Heath Speedwell.
Dark veins mark the pale flowers above hairy, toothed leaves.
Family Plantaginaceae · plantain family
Genus Veronica
Growth Creeping perennial with ascending flowering shoots
Height Usually about 2–10 inches
Bloom Spring to summer
Habitat Open woods, clearings, lawns and trail edges
Status Non-native in North America
Observation maps show reported sightings; they do not define the complete native range.
Leaves: opposite, oval to oblong, hairy and finely toothed, narrowing toward short leaf stalks.
Flowers: pale blue to lavender with darker veins. Four unequal lobes surround two projecting stamens.
Clusters: narrow, upright racemes arise from leaf axils. Individual flowers have very short stalks.
Growth: creeping stems send up ascending leafy shoots. Use the leaves, hairs and cluster position together to identify it.
Look in open woodland, clearings, grassy edges, lawns and along trails. Its low growth is easy to overlook until the pale flowers open.
Flowering extends from spring into summer, depending on location and conditions.
Native to Europe, Macaronesia and parts of western Asia. Introduced and naturalized across much of temperate North America, including Wisconsin and Illinois.
Sightings maps show reported occurrences, not native range.
Germander Speedwell (Veronica chamaedrys): typically has brighter blue flowers and two distinct lines of stem hairs. Common Speedwell is more generally hairy and has narrow, densely flowered racemes.
Thyme-leaved Speedwell (Veronica serpyllifolia): has smaller, smoother-looking leaves and terminal flower clusters.
Persian Speedwell (Veronica persica): bears individual flowers on long stalks from leaf axils rather than these narrow, many-flowered clusters.
The lower corolla lobe is smaller than the other three. Dark veins cross the pale lobes, and two stamens project from each open flower.
Flowers open along an elongated cluster. Later, flattened, notched seed capsules replace them.
Include a flower face, the hairy stem, an opposite leaf pair and the point where a flower cluster joins the leafy shoot. A wider view documents the creeping habit.
Explore more species in the guide, then practice recognizing wildflowers in the quiz.
