About Synthyris reniformis Benth.
Veronica regina-nivalis, which was formerly classified as Synthyris reniformis Benth., is a species of flowering plant in the figwort family. It has the common name snowqueen, or snow queen. This plant is native to the Pacific coast of the United States, ranging from the Puget Sound to the San Francisco Bay Area. It grows in forests located in coastal and inland hills and mountains. It is a perennial herb that reaches a maximum height of around 15 centimeters. It produces a rosette of basal leaves; these leaves have hairy, lobed, heart-shaped or kidney-shaped leaf blades, and are held on long petioles. The inflorescence is a small raceme made up of pale blue, lavender, or nearly white flowers, each of which measures just under one centimeter long. The flower corollas are bell-shaped, with the tube spreading into short lobes at the mouth, and two stamens tipped with large anthers. The plant's common name references that it is one of the first wildflowers to bloom in late winter.
