Veronica hederifolia L.
ivy-leaved speedwell (ivyleaf speedwell)
Plantaginaceae (Mare's-tail family)
(Previously in Scrophulariaceae)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Photograph

© Jamie Fenneman     (Photo ID #6117)


Map

E-Flora BC Static Map

Distribution of Veronica hederifolia
Click here to view the full interactive map and legend

Species Information

General:
Annual herb from a taproot; stems weak, prostrate to ascending, 5-40 cm long, branched at the base, spreading-hairy.
Leaves:
Opposite, stalked, kidney-shaped in outline, 0.5-2 cm wide, wider than long, palmately veined and 3- to 5-lobed or coarse-toothed, squared-off at the base, sparsely spreading-hairy and the margins fringed with long hairs, the stalks up to as long as the blades.
Flowers:
Inflorescence a terminal, elongate, smooth raceme, of several to many stalked flowers solitary in the axils of alternate, full-size leaves, the stalks 5-15 mm long; corollas pale blue, saucer-shaped, 3-6 mm across, irregularly 4-lobed, the lobes much longer than the short tube, the upper lobe largest, the lowest lobe narrower than the others; calyces glandular-hairy, 3-7 mm long, deeply 4-lobed, the lobes broadly triangular, the margins conspicuously fringed with long hairs; styles short, 0.6-1 mm long; stamens 2.
Fruits:
Capsules, 2.5-4 mm long, plump, nearly globe-shaped, wider than long, scarcely notched at the tip, smooth; seeds 1 or 2 per chamber, cup-shaped, cross-wrinkled, 2-3 mm long.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Illustration

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Veronica hederifolia

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information
Value / Class

Avg

Min

Max

Elevation (metres)
1930 1930 1930
Slope Gradient (%)
30 30 30

Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]

319 320 320
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric]
6 6 6
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class
C
# of field plots
 species was recorded in:
1
Modal BEC Zone Class
ESSF

All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in

ESSF(1)

Habitat and Range

Moist fields, lawns and waste places in the lowland and montane zones; rare in SW BC; introduced from Europe.

SourceThe Illustrated Flora of British Columbia