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Veronica persica

bird's-eye speedwell

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

Overview

Veronica persica is a low, sprawling annual in the plantain family, with slender, hairy stems 4-16 inches (10-40 cm) long that trail along the ground and turn up at the tips. The lower leaves are opposite and the upper alternate, oval to triangular, 0.3-1 inch (0.8-2.5 cm) long, with coarsely toothed margins and a light green color. From late winter through much of the year it bears solitary flowers in the leaf axils, each on a thread-like stalk longer than the leaf below it. The four-lobed flowers are 0.3-0.5 inch (8-12 mm) across, sky blue with darker veins and a white center, with the lowest lobe paler than the others. Each flower lasts a single day, and the plant produces a long succession of them. The fruit is a flattened, two-lobed, heart-shaped capsule that releases several seeds. It germinates in fall and spring and grows quickly on cultivated and disturbed ground, lawns, gardens, and field edges. A weed of cool seasons, it completes its cycle before summer heat and persists through abundant self-seeding. The flowers are visited by small bees and hoverflies. The foliage is not known to be toxic.

Native Range

Veronica persica is native to the Caucasus region of western Asia. It has spread across Europe, North America, and other temperate regions, where it is a widespread weed of gardens, croplands, and disturbed soil.

Suggested Uses

Veronica persica is rarely planted on purpose and appears mainly as a volunteer in lawns, beds, and disturbed ground. Where it is left to grow, it forms a low carpet of blue flowers in late winter and early spring and supplies early nectar for small insects. Its sprawling habit fills open soil before warm-season plants emerge.

How to Identify

The sky-blue, four-lobed flowers 0.3-0.5 inch (8-12 mm) across, each with a white center and held on a thread-like stalk longer than the nearby leaf, identify this speedwell. The trailing hairy stems carry oval, coarsely toothed leaves. The flattened, two-lobed heart-shaped seed capsules separate it from related speedwells with rounder fruit.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height4" - 1'4"

Width/Spread8" - 1'4"

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~16 weeks

Winter Spring

Flowering extends over a long season, from late winter through spring and into fall in mild climates. Each sky-blue flower opens for a single day, but the plant carries a steady succession over weeks. Bloom is heaviest in the cool months and slows in summer heat.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

sky blue with white center

Foliage Description

light green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

Requires 4-8 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range6.0 - 7.5(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

loam clay sand

Drainageaverage

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Medium

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Veronica persica grows in full sun to partial shade in moist, fertile soils and is most common on cultivated and disturbed ground. As a cool-season annual it needs no care in garden settings and dies back as summer arrives. It germinates in fall and spring, so bare soil is quickly colonized. The shallow roots are pulled easily, and removing plants before the capsules ripen reduces the next generation. Mulching open ground limits germination. The plant persists by self-seeding rather than perennial roots.

Pruning

No pruning is needed for this short-lived annual. Hoeing or pulling plants before they set seed reduces spread in the following season. Because flowering and seeding overlap, pulling plants early in the season limits the stand.