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In corn speedwell, single flowers 1/8" wide develop at the tips of inflorescences that arise from the axils of the middle and upper leaves; the flowers are nearly sessile. The inflorescence continually elongates, producing new flowers and a series of bracts along its length. The most basal bracts resemble the stem leaf whose axil hosts the inflorescence; the upper bracts are alternate, 3-10 mm long, and narrowly lance-shaped with long hairs fringing the bract margins. Each flower consists of four hairy, green, lance-like sepals/bracts longer than the corolla lobes; a blue to blue-violet corolla with four petal-like lobes, the upper three lobes slightly larger than the lower forth lobe; two stamens with white anthers; and a pistil with a single style. Dark lines (nectar guides) radiate from the throat of the corolla. Each flower only lasts a single day. The fruit is a 1/8" long and wide, tan, heart-shaped seed capsule, somewhat flattened, with two compartments containing 10-30 yellowish, ovoid seeds. There are 16 species of the genus Veronica reported from Illinois. I have only seen three (Veronica arvensis, Veronica polita, and Veronica serpyllifolia) in Jackson Park but, given their minute size and inconspicuousness, it seems likely that more remain to be found.

Veronica

Veronica arvensis

corn speedwell [Blooms: Apr-Jun]

Wayside speedwell's flowers are 1/4" across with a green, hairy calyx with four triangular lobes as long as the petals, projecting between them in the spaces between petals; a short corolla with four spreading lobes, three the same size (one on either side, blue to bluish-white with dark blue lines, and the third dark blue with blue-violet lines) and one about half as wide, pale blue or white with light blue lines. The blue lines function as nectar guides. The base of all four lobes is bright white, but the center of the flower is greenish. There are two white stamens with white anthers (backed by a dark blue "U" shape) and a single white pistil emerging from the throat of the corolla. The fruits are heart-shaped capsules with two chambers covered with glandular hairs, each containing 8-12 seeds. The flowers and leaves of wayside speedwell are similar to those of bird's-eye speedwell (Veronica persica), but the calyx lobes of bird's-eye speedwell do not project beyond the petals. There are 16 species of the genus Veronica reported from Illinois. I have only seen three (Veronica arvensis, Veronica polita, and Veronica serpyllifolia) in Jackson Park but, given their minute size and inconspicuousness, it seems likely that more remain to be found.

Veronica

Veronica polita

wayside speedwell [Blooms: Apr-Jun]