Germander speedwell Veronica chamaedrys
Table of Contents
A low growing, creeping plant, germander speedwell is just one of many speedwells. Their charming deep blue flowers brighten up grassy meadows, verges and open woodland in the summertime. It’s also a good luck charm for travellers as it ‘speeds voyagers on their way’.
Plant family: Plantaginaceae
Aliases: Bird’s eye speedwell, bluewort, blue eye’s, cat’s eyes
Flowering period: March – July
Flower colour: Blue
Preferred soil type: Most types, moist, fertile
Habitat: Grassland, verges, hedgerows
Status: Common
General information
Germander speedwell is a low-growing, clump forming, perennial wildflower and one of many plants in the speedwell family. It’s spreads via over ground runners forming dense mats in grassland. It has long been considered a good luck charm for travellers, as it colonises roadside verges and grassy lanes to ‘speed voyagers on their way’.
As with slender speedwell, which it closely resembles, it’s considered a major weed in turf, as it’s very difficult to eradicate, being resistant to most herbicides. It can also regenerate from loose plant fragments, dispersed by mowers, which makes control even more difficult.
It can be found growing in hedgerows, roadside verges and woodland perimeters, especially on moist soils.
Identification
Flowers: The flowers are borne on long stalks, deep blue in colour with white centers, sometimes a white halo around the edges is present. Each flower has four petals, they have a bi-lateral symmetry with the widest and largest petal on top, and the narrowest and smallest at the bottom. The flowers measure up to 10mm across, blooming between March and July.
Leaves: The leaves are opposite (in pairs), oval – triangular, deeply toothed, hairy and short stalked, sometimes stalk less.
Value for wildlife
Germander speedwell is a valuable source of nectar for bees and butterflies.
Uses for germander speedwell
In the past the leaves of germander speedwell have been used to make tea for treating chest congestion and asthma. It has also been used to treat ulcers, eye conditions, gout and fevers.
Germander speedwell images
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