Veronica alpina
Sp. Pl. 1: 11. 1753.
Perennials. Stems ascending, often dark bluish distally, sparsely branched at base, 5–15 (–25) cm, eglandular-hairy. Leaves: blade ovate or oblongelliptic, 7–30 × 4–20 mm, base cuneate, margins indistinctly dentate or entire, apex short-acuminate, abaxial surface glabrate, adaxial ± hairy. Racemes 1, terminal, 5–20 mm, to 30 mm in fruit, (1–) 3–20-flowered, axis eglandular-hairy; bracts oblanceolate, 4–5 mm. Pedicels ascending to erect, 1.5–2 (–4) mm, shorter than subtending bract, eglandular-hairy. Flowers: calyx lobes 3–4 mm, ciliate, apex obtuse or acuminate, eglandular-hairy; corolla sky blue or blue-violet, sometimes white, rotate, 2.5–5.5 mm diam.; stamens 2–2.3 mm; style 0.5–1.5 (–2) mm. Capsules compressed in cross-section, obovoid or oblong-obovoid, 4.5–7.5 × 3.5–5.5 mm, ca. as long as wide, apex shallowly emarginate, eglandular-hairy or glabrate. Seeds 9–53, brown to yellow, ellipsoid-oblong, flat, 0.7–1.2 × 0.4–1 mm, 0.1 mm thick, smooth. 2n = 18.
Phenology: Flowering (Jun–)Jul–Aug.
Habitat: Slopes, moist rocks, hillocks, moist alpine and subalpine meadows.
Elevation: 0–1000 m.
Distribution
Greenland, Nunavut, Que., Eurasia
Discussion
Selected References
None.