Veronica beccabunga

Brooklime is a hairless perennial herb 2-10 cm tall. Rhizomes are elongated. Stems is prostrate, 10-30 cm, slightly rising towards the top, branched, succulent. Leaf-stalks are 1-5 mm, prominent. Leaves are round, ovate, or oblong, 0.5-2.5 x 0.3-1.5 cm, margin nearly entire or shallowly toothed and 5-9-toothed per side. Flower racemes occur in leaf axils, 1-3 cm, 3-15-flowered. Stalk carrying the raceme is 0.3-1.5 cm in fruit, up to 1/2 as long as subtending leaf. Flower-stalks are 3-8 mm, straight, almost horizontally patent. Sepals are 4, ovate-lanceshaped, equal in size, reflexed or distant from capsule. Flowers are pale purple to pale blue, flat-faced, about 5 mm in diameter, tube short. Petals are slightly unequal in width. Capsule is nearly rounded, slightly compressed, 3-4 x 3-5 mm. Style is 1-2 mm. Seeds are about 30 per capsule, slightly flattened, convex on both sides; seed coat shallowly netveined. Brooklime is found in Europe, W Asia, Kashmir and China, at altitudes of 1200-2500 m. Flowering: April-September.