This plant is diminutive and has the smallest flowers possible (1/8th of an inch if even that). This is an upright, clumping winter annual that produces small purple, blue or whitish flowers in the spring. The lower portion of the plant has leaves that are round-to-oblong, while the leaves on the flowering upper branches are much more narrow with an alternate arrangement. Veronica arvensis is not readily apparent until you take a close look at the lawn. Corn speedwell does not typically persist very long after flowering, and by the time you think you have an infestation the seeds will have been released, and the summer heat will take care of the rest. Apparently ideal growing conditions require a warm fall and subsequent cool spring temperatures – exactly what we’ve been dealing with on the cape.
The plant originates from Europe and Asia and is known under many different names – wall speedwell and rock speedwell in the United States; Veronique des champs (wasn’t this a Gerard Depardieu movie?) in France, Feld-Ehrenpreis in Germany. The little guy gets around…
A close-up look at the flower of Veronica arvensis
| Scientific name: | Veronica arvensis |
| Common name: | corn speedwell |
| Other name: | rock speedwell, wall speedwell |
| Bloom time: | mid spring to early summer |
| Color: | medium blue to dark blue |
| Light requirements: | full sun to partial shade |
| Zone: | N/A |
| Soil: | acidic to mildly alkaline |
| Water: | average water needs |
| Origin: | Europe and Asia – INVASIVE |
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