Veronica americana
| Veronica americana | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Lamiales |
| Family: | Plantaginaceae |
| Genus: | Veronica |
| Species: | V. americana
|
| Binomial name | |
| Veronica americana | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Veronica americana, variously called American brooklime[3] or American speedwell,[3][4] is a flowering plant native to temperate and arctic Asia and North America[3] where it grows in streams and bottomlands.
It is a herbaceous perennial with glabrous stems 10–100 cm (4–40 in) long that bear terminal or axillary racemes or spikes of soft violet flowers. The leaves are 1.5–8 cm (0.6–3.1 in) long and 3 to 20 times as long as wide, short-petiolate, glabrous, serrate to almost entire.[5]
The plant can be confused with Scutellaria (skullcap) and other members of the mint family. Members of the mint family have square sided stems, and Veronica species have rounded stems.[6]
Uses
[edit]American speedwell is used both as food and as a medicinal plant.[citation needed] It is rich in nutrients and is reported to have a flavor similar to that of watercress.[7] As long as the water source is not contaminated, the entire plant (sans roots) can be eaten raw.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ Maiz-Tome, L. (2016). "Veronica americana". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T64326255A67731217. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ "Veronica americana (Raf.) Schwein. ex Benth". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
- ^ a b c "Veronica americana". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
- ^ "Veronica americana Schwein. ex Benth". PLANTS Profile. United States Department of Agriculture; Natural Resources Conservation Service. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
- ^ "Veronica americana". WTU Herbarium Image Collection. Burke Museum, University of Washington. Retrieved 2008-03-30.
- ^ Edible and Medicinal Plants of the West, Gregory L. Tilford, ISBN 0-87842-359-1
- ^ Reiner, Ralph E. (1969). Introducing the Flowering Beauty of Glacier National Park and the Majestic High Rockies. Glacier Park, Inc. p. 96.
- ^ Nyerges, Christopher (2017). Foraging Washington: Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Edible Wild Foods. Guilford, CT: Falcon Guides. ISBN 978-1-4930-2534-3. OCLC 965922681.
Further reading
[edit]
- Moreno-Escobar, Jorge; Alvarez, Laura; Rodriguez-Lopez, Veronica; Marquina Bahena, Silvia (2013). "Cytotoxic glucosydic iridoids from Veronica americana". Phytochemistry Letters. 6 (4): 610–613. Bibcode:2013PChL....6..610M. doi:10.1016/j.phytol.2013.07.017.
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- IUCN Red List least concern species
- Veronica (plant)
- Edible plants
- Flora of Subarctic America
- Flora of Western Canada
- Flora of Eastern Canada
- Flora of Japan
- Flora of the Russian Far East
- Flora of the Northwestern United States
- Flora of the North-Central United States
- Flora of the Northeastern United States
- Flora of the Southeastern United States
- Flora of the South-Central United States
- Flora of the Southwestern United States
- Plants described in 1830
- Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque
- Plantaginaceae stubs