Short Description
Heath speedwell is a small, pale green plant.
The stem leaves are elongated to oval. They are hairy and have finely toothed leaf margins.
The stem grows partly lying down and is hairy.
The flowers grow in dense, upright racemes. They are purple and have dark stripes.
The fruit capsules are triangular to heart-shaped and glandular-hairy.
Features
Heath speedwell
Veronica officinalis
purple flowers with dark stripes
hairy
In the city
Heath speedwell grows in sparse woods, on nutrient-poor lawns, along paths and forest edges. It grows widely and usually covers the ground loosely. It prefers moderately dry, nutrient-poor soils. It indicates acidic soils.
Fun Facts
The flowering period is from May to July.
It lives for several years and generally flowers and fruits annually (perennial plant).
- Endangerment level Germany: not endangered
The heath speedwell used to be highly valued as a remedy. It was supposed to help with ulcers, wounds and gout, among other things. Today it is hardly used any more.
Sources
Habitus, Kristian Peters, CC BY-SA 3.0 , https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Veronica_officinalis.jpeg
Blütenstand, AnRo0002, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:20150604Veronica_officinalis1.jpg
Habitus, Meneerke bloem, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Veronica_officinalis_003.JPG
Spohn, M., Golte-Bechtle, M. & Spohn, R. (2015) Was blüht denn da? Stuttgart: Franckh Kosmos Verlag.
Schauer, T., Caspari, C. & Caspari, S. (2015) Der illustrierte BLV-Pflanzenführer für unterwegs. 1150 Blumen, Gräser, Bäume und Sträucher, München: BLV.
Kammer, P. M. (2016) Pflanzen einfach bestimmen. Schritt für Schritt einheimische Arten kennenlernen, Bern: Haupt Verlag.
Seitz, B., Ristow, M., Meißner, J., Machatzi, B. & Sukopp, H. (2018) Rote Liste und Gesamtartenliste der etablierten Farn- und Blütenpflanzen von Berlin. : Der Landesbeauftragte für Naturschutz und Landschaftspflege / Senatsverwaltung für Umwelt, Klima und Verkehr (eds.) Rote Listen der gefährdeten Pflanzen, Pilze und Tiere von Berlin, URL: https://www.berlin.de/sen/uvk/natur-und-gruen/naturschutz/artenschutz/artenlisten-rote-listen/farn-und-bluetenpflanzen/ (Accessed: 26.03.2021).
Bundesamt für Naturschutz (n.d.) Artensteckbriefe, URL: http://floraweb.de/pflanzenarten/artenhome.xsql?suchnr=6265& (Accessed: 18.09.2018).
Page „Echter Ehrenpreis“. : Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Date of last revision: 12.07.2018, 16:48 UTC. URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Echter_Ehrenpreis&oldid=179098829 (Accessed: 18.09.2018).