Short Description
Germander speedwell can grow to a height of 40 cm.
The leaves are simple and oval. They are roughly serrated and oppositely arranged.
The stem is highly branched, prostrate or upward. It is very hairy, apart from underneath the flowers.
The flowers are blue. They have two crown petals and one axis of symmetry (zygomorphic). It has two blue stamens that are more or less opposite each other.
The fruits are triangular seed capsules.
Features
Germander speedwell
Veronica chamaedrys
blue flowers and stamens
two stamens
In the city
In towns, germander speedwell can be quite frequently found in hedges and bushes and along the verges of paths and forests. It prefers nutrient-rich and sunny sites. Urban soils enriched with nutrients as the result of human activity provides the plant with good growing conditions.
Fun Facts
The German name "Männertreu" (“men’s faithfulness”) is an ironic reference to the speedily dropping petals if the plant is picked.
Small spherical galls can often be found on the stem. This is where the larvae of the gall midge develop that lays its eggs there.
It flowers from April to July.
It lives for several years and generally flowers and fruits annually (perennial plant).
- Endangerment level Germany: not endangered
Sources
Habitus, Algirdas, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Veronica_chamaedrys_resize.jpg
Blätter, Beentree, GFDL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Veronica_chamaedrys_2_beentree.jpg
Blüten, Alice Kracht, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://offene-naturfuehrer.de/web/Datei:Veronica_chamaedrys_(9).JPG
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Lippert, W. & Podlech, D. (1993) GU Naturführer. Blumen: die wichtigen Blütenpflanzen Mitteleuropas erkennen und bestimmen, München: Gräfe und Unzer Verlag.
Needon, C. & Petermann, J. (1991) Urania-Naturführer Pflanzen, Leipzig, Jena, Berlin: Urania-Verlag.
Schauer, T., Caspari, C. & Caspari, S. (2015) Der illustrierte BLV-Pflanzenführer für unterwegs. 1150 Blumen, Gräser, Bäume und Sträucher, München: BLV.
Scherf, G. (2006) Wildpflanzen neu entdecken, München: BLV.
Page „Gamander-Ehrenpreis“. : Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Date of last revision: 19.06.2016, 08:23 UTC. URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gamander-Ehrenpreis&oldid=155433085 (Accessed: 04.10.2016).
Bundesamt für Naturschutz (n.d.) Artensteckbriefe, URL: http://floraweb.de/pflanzenarten/artenhome.xsql?suchnr=6249& (Accessed: 04.10.2016).