Veronicaceae . . . . . Speedwell family

Previously within:     Scophulariaceae,    which also included:   Orobanchaceae,    Veronicaceae    and     Phrymacaceae.

Choose flower colour from:

Blue/purple
Yellow
Red or pink
White

Blue and purple:

Veronica
Linaria
Cymbalaria muralis
V. x franciscana
Veronica
Linaria
Ivy-lvd Toadflax
Hebe
Note that flower shape is somewhat similar in:
Lamiaceae
Lamiaceae
Orobanchaceae
Orobanchaceae

Red-pink:

Misopates
Digitalis purpurea
Sibthorpia europaea
Erinus alpinus
Weasel's snout
Foxglove
Moneywort
Fairy foxglove
Linaria
Antirrhinum
Toadflax
Antirrhinum
Note that flower shape is somewhat similar in:
Lamiaceae
Lamiaceae
Orobanchaceae
Orobanchaceae

Yellow flowers

Linaria
Kickxia elatine
Digitalis lutea
Linaria
Toadflax
Sharp-leaved fluellen
Yellow foxglove
Toadflax

Asarina
Chaenorhinum
Trailing snapdragon
Small toadflax

Note that flower shape is somewhat similar in:
Lamiaceae
Orobanchaceae
Orobanchaceae
Orobanchaceae

White or white-ish:

Veronicaceae
Veronicaceae
Veronicaceae
Sibthorpia
Veronica
Chaenorhinum
Cornish moneywort
American speedwell
Small toadflax

Note that flower shape is somewhat similar in:
Scophulariaceae
Lamiaceae
Orobanchaceae
Orobanchaceae

Veronicaceae/Antirrhinum . . . . Snapdragon

Antirrhinum majus . . . . Snapdragon

Garden escape

Veronicaceae/Asarina . . . . Trailing snapdragon

Asarina procumbens . . . Trailing snapdragon

Naturalised on scattered walls in BI

Veronicaceae/Chaenorhinum . . . . Small toadflax

Chaenorhinum minus . . . Small toadflax

Scattered in waste places, arable land, esp. in En, Wa and Ire

Fls similar to Kickxsia

Veronicaceae/Cymbalaria . . . . Toadflax

Cymbalaria muralis . . . Ivy-leaved toadflax

Frequent on walls over most of BI; spur <3mm

Cymbalaria pallida . . . Italian toadflax

Naturalised on walls and stony places, esp. N En and S Sc; note the spur >5mm and hairy petioles/stems etc. distinguish from Corsican toadflax (C. hepaticifolia)

Veronicaceae/Digitalis . . . . Foxgloves

Digitalis lutea . . . Straw foxglove

Scattered esp. in S as garden escape

Digitalis purpurea . . . Foxglove

Common throughout BI in woodland clearings and heaths

Veronicaceae/Erinus . . . . Fairy foxglove

Erinus alpinus . . . Fairy foxglove

Naturalised on walls

Veronicaceae/Kickxia . . . . Sharp-leaved fluellen

Kickxia elatine . . . Sharp-leaved fluellen

Arable fields in S Br and CI

K. spuria (Round-leaved Fluellen)is a similar species found in similar places but with round leaves

Veroniaceae/Linaria . . . . . Snapdragons

Choose from:

Linaria purpurea
L. repens
L. vulgaris
L. maroccana
Cymbalaria

See also:

Scrophularia
Melampyrum
Misopates
Antirrhinum

Linaria maroccana . . . . Annual toadflax

Distinguished by spur longer than rest of flower; Casual, scattered in Br and CI

Linaria purpurea . . . Purple toadflax

Often occurs as a garden weed and on rough ground

Linaria repens . . . Pale toadflax

A rather scattered distribution on rough ground banks and walls

Linaria vulgaris . . . Common toadflax

Common exc. C & N Sc

Veronicaceae/Misopates . . . . . Weasel's snout; lesser toadflax

Misopates orontium . . . Weasel's snout

Very locally frequent in damp places in CI, S Br and W Ire

Veronicaceae/Sibthorpia . . . . . Cornish moneywort

Sibthorpia europaea . . . Cornish moneywort

Very locally frequent in damp places in CI, S Br and W Ire

See also:
Marsh pennywort
Golden Saxifrage
Navelwort
Glechoma

Veronicaceae/Veronica. . . . Speedwells

Choose speedwells by habitat and flower form:

       Wetland plants,    Mountain plants,    or    Meadow/woodland plants


Or by leaf shape:
        Leaf shape    

Wetland speedwells - choose from:-

V. beccabunga
V. catenata
V. anagallis-aquatica
V. scutellata

Mountain speedwells - choose from:-

V. fruticans
V. serpyllifolia ssp humifusa
V. alpina

Speedwells of meadows, woods, gardens, etc.:-

Fls single in axils
Racemes in axils
Racemes terminal
Single fls in each lf axil:
V. filiformis
V. hederifolia
V. persica
V. polita


Racemes of several fls in each axil:
V. chamaedrys
V. montana
V. officinalis
V. scutellata

V. teucrium


Fls in terminal heads or racemes without normal lvs between fls (sometimes also in axils):
V. arvensis
V. serpyllifolia
V. peregrina
V. praecox

V. spicata
V. x franciscana

Speedwells - by leaf shape:-       Entire (+/- untoothed)    or    Toothed

Entire (+/- untoothed) lvs:
Lvs toothed:

Veronica alpina . . . Alpine speedwell

Local on damp rocks above c. 500m in C Sc; fruit longer than wide, flower <10 mm (c.f. V. fruticans)

Veronica anagallis-aquatica . . . Blue water-speedwell

Locally common by ponds and streams

Veronica arvensis . . . Wall speedwell

Common on walls, banks, cultivated areas, etc.; stems often densely hairy, usually tiny with flowers 2-3mm

Veronica beccabunga . . . Brooklime

Common in streams and river banks

Veronica catenata . . . Pink water-speedwell

Locally common in open muddy places in En, Wa and Ire, rare in Sc

Veronica chamaedrys . . . Germander speedwell

Bright blue flowers 8-12 mm with two dense lines of hairs down opposite sides of stem (see 4th picture- some other spp. have weak lines)

Veronica filiformis . . . Slender speedwell

Single fls on stalks >2x length of leaves + petioles; naturalised on grassy paths etc. throughout BI

Veronica fruticans . . . Rock speedwell

Very local near tops of base-rich mountains in C Sc; Note the red eye-ring, flowers >10mm

Veronica hederifolia . . . . . Ivy-leaved speedwell

A common early-flowering plant; sometimes split into 2 subspp. - subsp. hederifolia (pic 2) with dark anthers and - subsp. lucorum (pic. 4) with smaller fls (<6mm) and pale anthers

Veronica montana . . . Wood speedwell

Locally frequent in damp woods; fls in axillary racemes, lvs with distinct stalks

Veronica officinalis . . . Heath speedwell

V. officinale is hairy with >12 fls in each axillary raceme (tho' often appearing terminal; c.f. V. serpyllifolia is +/-hairless with fls in terminal racemes)

Veronica peregrina . . . American speedwell

A scattered weed of gardens

Veronica persica . . . Field speedwell

Single bright blue flowerss with white lower petal in each leaf axil; widely naturalised in cultivated and waste ground

Distinguished from V. polita & V. agrestis by larger fls & spreading fruits with non-glandular hairs (see pic 3)

Veronica polita . . . Grey field speedwell

Single bright blue flowers in each leaf axil; frequent exc. in Sc and Ire

Similar is V. agrestis with paler fls with lower half white and only glandular hairs on fruit (Green field speedwell); frequent across BI.
See also V. persica

Veronica praecox . . . Breckland speedwell

This and the similar spp. below have fls in a terminal raceme; rare on sandy soils in E Anglia

Other similar rare E. Anglian spp. are V. triphyllos (Fingered speedwell) and V. verna (Spring speedwell)

Veronica scutellata . . . Marsh speedwell

Locally frequent in marshes and wet meadows

Veronica serpyllifolia . . . Thyme-leaved speedwell

V. serpyllifolia is +/-hairless (or v. short hairs) with fls in terminal racemes (c.f. V. officinale is hairy with >12 fls in each axillary raceme) (see RH picture for comparison)
V. serpyllifolia & V. officinalis


Veronica serpyllifolia ssp humifusa . . . . Mountain speedwell

A distinct form in ; most of flowering stems prostrate; fewer than 12 flowers per shoot

Veronica spicata . . . Spiked speedwell

Short grassland on limestone with separate subspp. recognised in the W and the E

Veronica teucrium . . . Large speedwell

Grown in gardens, rarely escapes

Veronica x franciscana . . . . Hedge hebe or Hedge veronica

Commonly planted and escapes naturalised esp. by the sea in the S & W of Br and Ire; colour ranges from white thro' pink to blue

A number of other +/-woody 'Hebes' are widely planted and can escape